UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT  LOS  ANGELES 


UNIVERSITY  of  CMJFOKN1A 

AT 
ANGELES 

LIBRARY 


HOW  TO  APPRECIATE   PRINTS 


THE  ENGRAVER. 

Dry-point    by    Whistler. 

The  print  shows  Riault,  a  wood  engraver,  at  work.     The  wood  block  on 
which  he 'is  engraving   rests  on  a  pad  before  him;   on  the  table  lie  some^ 

(Courtesy   of   the   New    York   Public   Library   Print   Dept.) 


HOW  TO 
APPRECIATE  PRINTS 


BY 


FRANK  WEITENKAMPF,  L.H.D. 

CHIEF     OF      THE       PRINT      DIVISION 
OF  THE  NEW  YORK  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


Second  and  Revised  Edition 


NEW  YORK 

MOFFAT,  YARD  AND  COMPANY 
1916 


COPYRIGHT,  1908,  BY 

MOFFAT,  YARD  AND  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK 


All  Rights  Reserved 

Published,  November,  1908 
Second  Printing,  March,  1909 
Third  Printing,  June,  1909 
Fourth  Printing,  January,  19x1 
Fifth  Printing,  April,  1914 
Sixth  Printing,  October,  1916 


Art 
Library 

^E 
&6C 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

A  WORD  BEFOREHAND  ix 

I.     THE  TASTE  FOR  PRINTS  i 

II.     ETCHING        .         .         .         .         .11 

III.  LINE  ENGRAVING    ....       53 

IV.  MEZZOTINTS  .....       94 
%V.    AQUATINT       AND      OTHER       TINT 

METHODS  .          .          .         .          -130 

VI.  STIPPLE  AND  OTHER  DOT  METHODS  .      145 

VII.  WOOD  ENGRAVING  .          .         .         .162 

VIII.  LITHOGRAPHY         .         .                   .     204 

IX.  PHOTOMECHANICAL  PROCESSES           .     240 

X.  COLOR  PRINTS         ....     246 

XI.  COLLECTING  .....     256 

XII.  THE  MAKING  OF  PRINTS  .         .         .     264 

XIII.  CARE  OF  PRINTS      ....      289 

XIV.  THE  SUBJECT-INTEREST  .         .         .     294 
XV.  SOME  SPECIALTIES            .          .          .      302 

A  WORD  IN  CLOSING       .         .         .313 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

THE  ENGRAVER Frontispiece 

Dry-point  by  Whistler 

LION'S  HEAD 20 

Soft-ground  Etching  by  Armand  Point 

REMBRANDT   DRAWING 24 

Etching  by  Rembrandt 

MOTHER  AND  BABY 34 

Dry-point  by  Mary  Cassatt 

L'ABSIDE  DE  NOTRE  DAME  DE  PARIS 38 

Etching  by  Charles  Meryon 

SHERE  MILL  POND 40 

Etching  by  Sir  Seymour  Haden,  P.R.E. 

ST.  MARTIN'S  BRIDGE,  SPAIN 42 

Etching  by  Joseph  Pennell 

WILLIAMSBURG    (Brooklyn) 44 

Etching  by  Charles  A.  Platt 

WATER  STREET,  PHILADELPHIA 46 

Etching  by  Charles  Henry  White 

ELF  AND  BEAR 48 

Etching  by  Max  Klinger 

ST.  JEROME  IN  His  STUDY 66 

Line  Engraving  by  Albrecht  DUrer 

THE  RAT  CATCHER 72 

Line  Engraving  by  Cornells  Visscher 

THE  MASSACRE  OF  THE  INNOCENTS 74 

Line  Engraving  by  Marc  Antonio  Raimondi 

PORTRAIT  OF  POM  PONE  DE  BELLIEVRE 78 

Line   Engraving   by   Robert   Nanteuil,   after   Charles 
Le  Brun 

JOHN  PHILPOT  CURRAN 104 

Mezzotint  by  John  Raphael  Smith,  after  Sir  Thomas 
Lawrence 


viii  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

NORHAM  CASTLE  ON  THE  TWEED 116 

Etching  by  J.  M.  W.  Turner  for  the  Mezzotint 

NORHAM  CASTLE  ON  THE  TWEED 116 

Drawn  and  Etched  by  J.  M.  W.  Turner.    Engraved  by 
C.  Turner  (1816).     Mezzotint 

SIR  FRANCIS  SEYMOUR  HADEN  AT  63 128 

Mezzotint  by  Alphonse  Legros 
A   PLATE   FROM    FRANK    SHORT'S    "  ON   THE   MAKING   OF 

ETCHINGS" 132 

EXAMPLES  OF  STIPPLE  ENGRAVING 150 

THE  HONOURABLE  Miss  BINGHAM 152 

Stipple  Engraving  by  F.  Bartolozzi  (1786) 
A  WOODCUT  FROM  HOLBEIN'S  "  DANCE  OF  DEATH  "         .        .    170 
ITALIAN  WOODCUT  BY  AN  UNKNOWN  VENETIAN  MASTER  OF 

THE  ISTH  CENTURY 172 

THE  ANNUNCIATION 175 

By  Geoffroy  Tory.     Woodcut 

A  WOOD-ENGRAVING 178 

By  Thomas  Bewick 

FOREST  OF  FONTAINEBLEAU 188 

Wood-Engraving  by  Elbridge  Kingsley  after  Corot 

ONE  OF  THE  HUNDRED  VIEWS  OF  FUJIYAMA  ....    198 

By  Hokusai 

PORTRAIT  OF  TOLSTOI 228 

Lithograph  by  Henri  Lefort 

PORTRAIT  OF  TENNYSON 234 

Lithograph  by  Alphonse  Legros 

VIEW  ON  THE  SEINE  (A  Paris  quai) 236 

Lithograph  by  H.   W.  Ranger 
PORTRAIT  OF  EDMOND  DE  GONCOURT  (First  state)    .       .       .    268 

Etching  by  Felix  Bracquemond 

PORTRAIT  OF  EDMOND  DE  GONCOURT  (Seventh  state)      .        .    270 
AN  IMPRESSION  FROM  THE  CANCELED  PLATE  OF  WHISTLER'S 
ETCHING   "  MILLBANK  "  282 


AS  TO  THE  SECOND   EDITION 

ON  the  occasion  of  each  reprinting  of  this  book,  va- 
rious corrections  and  additions  were  made.  Particu- 
larly in  the  case  of  the  present — the  fifth — printing, 
in  which  these  changes  cumulate  into  a  second 
edition. 

A  more  obvious  glamor  of  the  "  up-to-date  "  might 
have  been  cast  about  this  reprint  by  adding  an  addi- 
tional chapter.  That  plan  was  carefully  considered, 
and  rejected.  It  would  have  been  quite  out  of  har- 
mony with  the  nature  and  object  of  the  book,  which 
aims  to  be  a  guide  to  appreciation,  not  a  history.  From 
that  standpoint  of  appreciation,  the  reader  has  been 
better  served  by  the  changes  and  additions  made  at 
their  proper  places. 

The  book  is  sent  to  press,  then,  for  the  fifth  time,1 
with  a  keen  appreciation  of  the  increasing  interest  in 
prints  which  has  made  this  reissue  necessary,  and 
which,  again,  the  book  may  have  done  a  little  to 
arouse. 

F.  W. 

January,  1914. 

1  In  the  sixth  printing.  October.  1916.  farther  corrections  and  additions  appear. 


IX 


A   WORD    BEFOREHAND 

To  claim  or  attempt  historical  completeness  for  a 
book  such  as  the  present  one  would  be  preposterous. 
It  would  be  futile  to  boil  down  all  the  facts  in  the 
many  books  on  the  subject  into  a  compressed,  full  and 
dry  record  of  names  and  dates.  Numerous  data  are 
given,  as  a  matter  of  course,  because  they  illustrate 
various  general  principles  on  which  the  appreciation 
of  prints  is  based.  ^Esthetic  criteria  are  inevitably 
influenced  by  historical  and  local  association  and  by 
technical  considerations,  and  these  points  must  there- 
fore be  brought  out.  But  the  emphasis  is  on  ap- 
preciation, and  the  end  in  view  will  be  fully  realized 
if  the  reader  is  helped  to  see,  whether  he  eventually 
agrees  or  not  with  the  opinions  expressed.  The  ob- 
ject is  not  to  furnish  cut-and-dried  invariable  rules,  but 
to  aid  in  the  development  of  a  critical  spirit  paired  with 
liberal-mindedness. 

The  various  chapters  are  as  independent  of  each 
other  as  they  can  be  (considering  the  interdependence 
of  the  arts)  and  can  therefore  be  read  or  consulted 
separately.  The  index  forms  a  key  to  all  essential  facts, 
including  certain  topics  to  which  a  separate  chapter 
could  not  be  devoted,  particularly  book  illustration, 
more  or  less  extended  references  to  which  occur  in 
nearly  every  chapter. 


XI 


CHAPTER   I 
THE  TASTE  FOR  PRINTS 

NOT  a  few  persons  who  are  fond  of  pictures  appear 
diffident  before  prints.  They  seem  to  fear  that  the 
whole  subject  is  far  beyond  them,  and  make  little  or 
no  effort  to  acquire  a  closer  acquaintance  with  a  form 
of  art  that  offers  most  varied  pleasures  to  those  who 
have  come  to  appreciate  it  in  one  phase  or  another. 
Anything  worth  striving  for  or  learning  is  above  us 
until  we  have  succeeded  in  attaining  a  closer  view  and 
a  better  understanding  of  it.  Timidity  in  the  face  of 
this  subject,  then,  is  not  warranted.  Rather  an  open- 
minded  desire  to  learn. 

The  list  of  books  dealing  with  prints  is  not  a  small 
one,1  and  it  includes  some  excellent  guides  for  the  col- 
lector; yet  some  of  these,  by  their  very  mass  of  his- 
torical and  technical  data,  and  their  aesthetic  attitude, 
presuppose  considerable  information  and  a  high  devel- 
opment of  taste  in  the  reader.  This  may  dishearten 
those  who  do  not  fully  understand  what  they  want, 
those  who  need  the  friendly  hand  of  guidance  before 
they  are  ready  for  the  formal  lecture  of  the  expert. 
There  are  things  that  cannot  be  taught  well  in  print, 
things  which,  after  all,  the  reader  must  test  for  him- 
self. But  he  can  be  put  on  the  right  track.  He  can  be 
helped  to  help  himself,  to  see  all  he  can  in  the  right 

1  Two  bibliographies  of  the  subject  have  been  issued  in  recent  years:  the 
portly  quarto  by  Howard  C.  Levis  (1912),  with  "Supplement  and  Index" 
(1913)1  and  G.  Bourcard's  "  Graveurs  et  Gravures  "  (1910). 


2  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

way  and  to  read  the  right  books  at  the  right  time.  And 
that  is  what  is  attempted  in  the  present  book. 

There  are  various  grades  of  art  and  of  art  lovers. 
"The  earth  has  room  for  all,"  as  Schiller  said. 

The  first  step  in  the  development  of  a  love  for  pic- 
tures is  the  interest  in  subject;  the  second,  the  interest 
in  realistic  treatment.  These  two  points  are  the  ones 
which  attract  most  persons  when  confronted  with 
pictures.  They  are  a  natural  and  proper  expression, 
based  on  the  attitude  of  man  toward  his  fellow-man 
and  the  rest  of  nature.  They  animated  the  men  of  the 
stone  age,  scratching  representations  of  animals  on  a 
piece  of  bone,  as  they  do  the  schoolboy  making  rude 
incursions  into  art  on  his  slate  or  the  fly-leaf  of  his 
schoolbook.  Their  popularity  is  exemplified  in  the  atti- 
tude of  the  crowds  that  gather  before  certain  paintings 
in  our  large  permanent  art  galleries,  such  as  the  Metro- 
politan Museum — paintings  that  tell  stories,  war-scenes, 
anecdotal  genre.  To  say  that  this  whole  movement 
is  wrong,  or  shows  false  taste,  simply  because  it  repre- 
sents a  form  of  art  not  now  in  vogue  among  the  fore- 
most artists,  is  really  a  mistake.  As  I  said,  there  are 
various  grades  of  art.  There  are  different  points  of 
view  and  the  supercilious  attitude  is  always  out  of 
order. 

But  humanity,  in  its  acquisition  of  knowledge,  its 
hopes,  its  aspirations,  its  ideals,  is  in  a  state  of  steady 
development.  In  art,  it  is  the  personal  expression  of 
the  artist,  his  individuality — shown  not  only  in  mere 
tricks  of  style,  but  in  his  state  of  mind,  his  attitude 
toward  the  world  about  him — which  counts  most  in 
the  end.  And  that  is  why  art  in  any  form  is  not  a 


THE  TASTE  FOR  PRINTS  3 

matter  only  of  mere  copying  of  facts.  The  line  to  be 
drawn  is  not  always  easy  to  define,  perhaps.  But  one 
may  best  regard  some  extreme  examples.  The  demand 
for  subject  and  realism  found  strong  expression  in  the 
vogue  enjoyed  by  the  chromos  years  ago.  About  the 
same  class  of  people  who  made  the  popularity  of  these 
color  prints  at  that  time,  to-day  buy  the  original  land- 
scape etching  "at  $2.37,  framed." 

On  the  whole,  this  marks  a  step  in  advance,  if  only 
for  the  reason  that  the  original  etching,  though  it 
be  a  poor  one,  appeals  to  a  more  highly  developed 
taste  because  it  often  lacks  the  strong  appeal  of  a  story 
told,  of  a  subject  arousing  human  interest;  and  be- 
cause, being  simply  in  black-and-white,  it  lacks  also 
the  strong  aid  to  the  less  trained  imagination  which 
color  gives.  Of  course,  there  are  good  chromos  and 
poor  etchings. 

Obvious  and  cheap  realism  is  the  most  easily  under- 
stood. The  "fiddle  on  the  barn  door"  draws  crowds 
who  complacently  note  the  well-painted  rusty  hinges 
and  the  astonishingly  deceptive  fly  crawling  on  the 
wood.  This  delight  in  counting  every  wrinkle  on  a 
face,  all  the  buttons  on  a  coat,  is  born  of  the  spirit 
which  prompts  the  schoolboy  to  draw  a  face  in  pro- 
file with  two  eyes  on  one  side.  "A  man  has  two  eyes, 
hasn't  he?" 

Now,  the  absolute  rendering  of  every  detail  is  not 
necessary,  and  many  of  us  believe  that  it  is  not  the 
object  of  the  highest  form  of  art.  We  expect  a  writer 
to  leave  some  ink  in  the  well  and  give  some  play  to 
our  imagination.  The  artist  is  not  a  camera.  He  is 
a  being  with  a  soul  who  presents  nature  to  us  with  an 


4  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

infusion  of  his  own  personality.  "Art  is  nature  seen 
through  a  soul,"  said  Corot,  the  French  landscape 
painter.  Others  have  expressed  the  same  thought  in 
other  words.  As  we  advance  in  our  knowledge  and 
appreciation  of  prints,  we  will  more  and  more  value 
these  qualities  of  personality.  And  not  a  small  part 
of  our  pleasure  will  be  due  to  delight  in  the  technical 
handling  of  the  work  before  us.  For  the  artist's  ex- 
pression and  his  manner  of  expressing  himself  are 
inseparable. 

In  the  handling  of  the  medium,  that  is,  the  process 
of  reproduction  (engraving,  etching,  lithography), 
all  the  formative  influences  in  an  artist's  make-up  find 
expression:  nationality,  surroundings,  his  masters, 
his  idols,  his  tastes.  That  is  why  technique  counts 
for  so  very  much  in  our  appreciation  of  prints.  And 
that  is  why  the  interest  in  methods  of  working  is  apt  to 
outweigh  the  dryness  of  technical  descriptions.  Tech- 
nique is  expressed  by  craftsmanship,  and  there  is 
usually  a  very  proper  curiosity  concerning  the  means 
to  this  end.  For  the  tool  by  which  a  work  of  art  is 
produced,  and  the  material  in  which  it  is  produced, 
inevitably  impose  their  stamp  on  the  artistic  result, 
through  their  very  nature  and  through  the  manner  in 
which  they  have  to  be  handled.  Etching-needle  and 
copper,  crayon  and  stone,  graver  and  wood,  pencil  and 
paper,  are  media  that  have  each  its  field,  its  proper  lim- 
its of  expression,  beyond  which  it  is  unwise  to  force 
them.  We  must  not,  then,  expect  of  any  medium  or 
process  what  it  cannot  give.  We  must  not  look  in  the 
etching  for  the  range  of  color  suggestion  of  the  litho- 
graph, the  detailed  formality  of  the  line  engraving,  the 


THE  TASTE  FOR  PRINTS  5 

richness  of  the  mezzotint,  the  tone  of  the  modern  wood- 
engraving.  Each  medium  has  its  advantages  and  its 
disadvantages.  Each  has  its  peculiar  claim  on  our  at- 
tention. The  individual  liberty  of  the  artist  is  to  be  re- 
spected. The  master  will  not  be  bound  by  fashions  in 
execution,  mannerisms  in  manual  dexterity  formulated 
by  the  cleverness  of  handicraftsmen.  But  he  will  as- 
suredly respect  the  nature  of  the  medium,  and  aim  only 
at  effects  to  the  production  of  which  it  is  adapted. 

The  best  prints  do  not  appeal  with  full  force  to  the 
majority  of  those  whom  the  painting  attracts,  because 
they  represent  a  specialized  sort  of  taste.  This  taste 
may  be  inborn  in  its  inception,  but  it  is  an  acquired 
taste  in  its  development.  This  is  only  natural.  Con- 
sider that  the  cheapest  chromo  has  certain  evident  ele- 
ments of  realism,  such  as  color  and  detail,  that  appeal 
strongly  and  directly.  On  the  other  hand,  in  the  etch- 
ing, a  highly  developed  form  of  art,  all  unnecessary 
detail  is  usually  omitted.  Furthermore,  the  etching 
is  expressed  in  black  lines,  and  nature  has  no  lines. 
The  line  is  a  convention,  which  is  carried  to  its 
extreme  potentiality  where  it  is  used,  as  in  the  slighter 
etchings  of  Whistler,  or  Pennell,  or  Platt,  to  give  sum- 
mary indications  or  impressions,  and  not  to  express 
completeness  of  tones,  or  of  light  and  shade.  The 
function  of  this  form  of  art  is  suggestion,  stimulation 
of  fancy,  the  conveying  of  impressions  from  one  mind 
to  another.  But,  while  recognizing  the  fact  that  the 
appreciation  of  etchings  calls  for  a  training  of  the  per- 
ceptive faculties,  we  need  not  therefore  turn  from  this 
form  of  art  as  from  something  beyond  us.  The  Jap- 
anese color-print  is,  another  example  of  a  highly  de- 


6  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

veloped   art-sense.     But   the   fact   that  it  seems   all 
"Greek"  at  first  need  not  discourage. 

When  other  things  in  life  attract  us  on  account  of 
possible  amusement  (as  a  difficult  game  such  as  chess, 
or  whist,  or  Skat)  or  of  possible  profit  (as  some  pro- 
fession or  trade),  we  strive  to  master  them.  Why 
not  so  here?  The  pupil  who  enters  school  cannot 
read  and  understand  Shakespeare,  but  he  can  learn  to 
do  so.  Fields  of  pure  delight  will  be  opened  to  him 
who  will  only  have  the  will  to  see. 

The  term  "prints"  covers  many  things,  from  the 
cheap  chromo  to  the  ten-thousand-dollar  etching  by 
Rembrandt.  It  can  be  applied  to  the  magazine  or 
book  illustration  that  gives  pleasure  to  large  numbers, 
and  to  the  choice  and  rare  products  of  art  that  delight 
the  most  highly  cultured  amateur.  It  describes  the 
printed  picture  that  we  enjoy  for  purely  artistic  rea- 
sons as  well  as  that  in  which  the  antiquarian  or  historic 
interest  overshadows  all  else.  The  collector  of  his- 
torical prints  may  pay  a  good  price  for  an  engraving 
that  is  poor  as  a  work  of  art  but  rare  as  a  portrait;  for 
the  interest  in  prints  is  based  not  only  on  various  de- 
grees of  artistic  understanding  and  on  different  artistic 
standpoints,  but  also  on  aspects  not  necessarily  artistic. 
And  these  various  interests  all  play  their  part  in  the 
appreciation  of  prints. 

But  primarily  we  have  to  do  with  them  as  art  prod- 
ucts purely.  And,  as  such,  they  offer  three  elements 
of  enjoyment,  as  Wessely  once  said;  namely,  the 
beauty  of  the  engraving  on  the  plate  or  block,  the 
beauty  of  the  impression  on  paper  taken  therefrom,  and 
the  beauty  of  the  condition  of  this  impression  or  print. 


THE  TASTE  FOR  PRINTS  7 

The  collector  of  etchings  by  Whistler,  Haden, 
MeYyon,  Legros,  Cameron  and  other  masters  of  the 
art  will  perhaps  turn  up  his  nose  at  reproductive  etch- 
ings. There  is  an  instinctive  feeling  that  the  true 
province  of  the  etcher  is  the  summary  expression  of 
original  ideas  and  not  the  painstaking  reproduction  of 
a  painting  by  another  artist.  Undoubtedly  the  ''repro- 
ductive etcher"  has  sinned  much.  But  so  has  also 
the  "original  etcher."  For  the  slick  potboiler  was 
bound  to  come  into  evidence  when  "etching"  first  be- 
came a  name  to  conjure  with  and  a  certain  popularity 
of  the  art  caused  it  to  be  "worked  for  all  it  was  worth." 
"Prove  all  things,  hold  fast  that  which  is  good"  is  as 
good  a  rule  as  ever.  There  are  some  beautiful  ex- 
amples of  reproductive  etching,  by  men  such  as 
Waltner,  Unger,  Flameng  and  Chauvel,  to  name  but  a 
few.  And  again,  Jacquemart  has  drawn  on  the  copper 
pictures  of  glass  and  silverware  which  are  exquisite  and 
worth  many  "original  etchings." 

Pursuing  this  question  of  the  relative  merits  of  re- 
productive and  original  work,  we  find  that,  on  the 
other  hand,  collectors  are  so  eager  for  fine  mezzotints 
that  some  of  these  prints  are  bringing  excessive  prices 
in  the  auction  rooms.  Yet  the  mezzotint  process  has 
been  employed  essentially  as  a  reproductive  one.  Orig- 
inal mezzotints  are  not  numerous,  and  are  not  the  ones 
that  bring  the  highest  prices.  It  is  also  well  to  re- 
member that  that  which  is  most  sought  after  in  life  is 
not  inevitably  the  best.  In  collecting,  too,  we  may  strike 
fashions  and  fads,  and  the  fad  is  not  necessarily  in 
good  taste. 

Looking  for  the  individuality  of  the  artist  in  prints 


8  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

will,  of  course,  lead  eventually  to  original  work.  For 
it  is  evident  that  an  artist  will  give  fuller  expression 
to  his  own  self  in  an  original  etching  or  lithograph 
than  \,  hen  he  is  fettered  by  the  necessity  of  interpreting 
the  work  of  another  and  honestly  tries  to  remain  loyal 
to  the  latter. 

s  Meanwhile,  as  you  seek  for  the  best,  remain  true 
to  yourself.  If,  after  careful  study,  you  feel  drawn  to 
any  specialty  or  any  one  artist,  have  the  courage  of 
your  convictions.  Do  not  think  that  you  must  follow 
either  the  crowd  or  the  select  few.  Only  make  it  a 
point  to  pick  out  the  best  in  the  specialty  that  strikes 
your  fancy.  If  you  find  you  like  reproductive  etch- 
ings, seek  out  the  best  work  of  the  best  men.  Enjoy 
it,  buy  it  if  you  can  and  want  to.  Train  your  eye  to 
see  the  good  and  bad.  For  much  of  the  beauty  of  an 
etching,  for  example,  depends  on  the  manner  in  which 
it  is  printed  and  on  the  state  of  the  plate  when  it  is 
printed.  Impressions  from  a  badly-worn  plate  are  an 
eyesore.  I  placed  a  fine  impression  of  an  etching  by 
Rajon,  after  a  "Reader,"  by  Meissonier,  beside  one  ap- 
parently taken  from  the  plate  when  badly  worn  and  pub- 
lished about  thirty  years  ago  in  the  American  edition  of 
a  well-known  British  art  periodical.  The  difference 
was  remarkable,  and  it  was  pitiful  to  see  that  such  a 
travesty  of  the  original  had  been  foisted  on  our  public 
with  all  the  pomp  of  authority.  Which  shows  that  the 
name  of  a  good  man  on  your  print  does  not  necessarily 
mean  that  you  have  "a  good  thing,"  though  the  agent 
or  other  seller  be  ever  so  glib. 

To  repeat,  then,  do  not  be  dismayed  by  the  attitude 
of  the  superior  person.     Admire  frankly  what  pleases 


THE  TASTE  FOR  PRINTS  g 

you,  always  assuming  that  you  have  made  your  choice 
after  due  deliberation  and  for  good  reason.  And  if, 
in  the  course  of  time,  you  should  outgrow  your  tastes 
or  change  your  attitude,  you  can  afford  to  do  -s<j»  with 
entire  satisfaction  to  yourself.  You  have  had  pure, 
elevating  enjoyment,  from  what  you  admired  hitherto, 
which  is  certainly  immeasurably  better  than  if  you  hud 
kept  away  from  the  whole  business  on  account  of  mis- 
placed diffidence.  Of  course,  there  is  no  royal  road  to 
any  knowledge.  And,  particularly,  do  not  expect  the 
present  handbook,  or  any  other  general  one,  to  answer 
questions  of  a  very  special  nature.  When  you  have 
really  arrived  at  that  point  you  need  special  litera- 
ture— histories  of  a  particular  school  or  nationality, 
monographs  on  individual  artists,  or  works  on  the 
medium  (mezzotint,  etching,  etc.)  which  appeals  to 
your  taste  and  fancy.  One  cannot  build  a  pons  asi- 
norum  to  enable  you  absolutely  to  tell  the  bad  from  the 
good,  any  more  than  a  receiving  teller  can  learn  to 
tell  counterfeit  money  except  by  handling  it.  But 
facts  can  be  set  down  which  will  give  you  proper  prep- 
aration for  that  which  you  will  do  with  all  the  more 
zest  and  pleasure  because  of  such  preparation.  And 
that  is,  first  to  see,  and  second  to  see,  and  third  to  see 
yet  more.  Look  at  all  the  prints  you  can,  with  the 
intention  to  learn  and  understand  and  enjoy.  Op- 
portunities are  numerous.  There  are  public  print 
rooms  in  Washington,  Boston,  Cambridge,  New  York 
and  Philadelphia,  and  smaller  public  collections  of 
prints  in  Buffalo,  Chicago  and  elsewhere.  Exhibi- 
tions are  arranged  in  various  cities  by  art  institutions, 
associations  and  schools,  by  museums,  public  print 


io  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

rooms,  book-clubs  and  various  print-dealers.  Cata- 
logues are  issued  for  these  shows  which  are  records 
of  permanent  value,  and  this  applies  to  the  hand  lists 
issued  by  certain  dealers  as  well  as  to  the  elaborate 
publications  of  such  clubs  as  the  Grolier  of  New 
York,  the  Caxton  of  Chicago,  or  the  Burlington  Fine 
Arts  of  London.  A  look  at  the  list  of  exhibitions  that 
have  been  arranged  in  recent  years  by  clubs  such  as 
those  mentioned,  indicates  a  remarkably  wide  field  of 
interest,  with  an  appeal  to  every  variety  of  cultivated 
taste  in  print  matters. 

There  are  few  pleasures  to  be  had  with  such  a  very 
little  outlay  of  time  and  money  as  this.  And  all 
this  is  there  for  him  who  will  take  it. 

To  give  a  list  of  masterpieces,  like  a  list  of  one  hun- 
dred best  books,  duly  labeled  and  described,  may  be 
convenient  to  him  who  likes  to  have  his  life  mapped  out 
for  him  on  the  Cook's  tour  principle,  regulating  his 
daily  meals  by  the  menu  published  in  his  favorite  daily, 
and  "doing  as  the  others  do"  in  everything.  In  the 
thoughtful  one  a  superabundance  of  examples  given 
may  in  time  rouse  the  query:  Why  was  not  that  one 
named  instead  of  this  one? 

If  the  writer,  apart  from  citing  certain  unquestioned 

cases  of  absolute  merit,  exercises  the  right  of  personal 

choice,  he  is  bound  to  stimulate  the  reader  to  think 

for  himself,  to  draw  comparisons,  to  use  his  own  eyes. 

•  And  that  is  the  principal  thing  to  be  attained. 


CHAPTER  II 
ETCHING 

IT  is  confidently  stated  that  the  time  is  past  when 
people  think  that  to  etch  is  to  make  a  pen  drawing. 
Yet  I  have  frequently  been  asked  by  persons  who 
showed  a  decided  appreciation  of  etchings,  "  Now, 
are  these  the  originals  or  copies  ?  "  In  one  case  this 
question  was  put  by  a  man  who,  without  previous  art 
training,  enjoyed  Whistler's  etchings  because  "  they 
told  so  much  with  such  few  lines."  Not  a  bad  char- 
acterization, that.  It  took  only  a  few  words  to  set 
him  straight  as  to  the  manner  in  which  etchings  were 
produced,  and  to  show  him  that  they  were  neither 
originals  nor  copies  in  the  sense  in  which  he  used  those 
terms. 

Etching  is  an  art  of  the  line.  In  that  respect  it  is 
like  line  engraving  on  copper.  Used  in  the  same  field 
as  the  latter,  to  reproduce  paintings,  it  can  be  handled 
so  as  to  produce  tones  in  which  the  line  is  lost.  But  as 
a  "  painter  art,"  as  a  medium  for  original  expression, 
it  does  not  aim  at  such  completeness  of  effect.  It  is, 
in  fact,  often  comparatively  slight  in  execution,  sum- 
mary in  statement,  telling  its  story  in  few  words.  Its 
strength  lies  in  indication,  not  elaboration;  flexibility, 
not  rigidity;  the  possibility  of  omission,  not  the  neces- 
sity of  adding  detail ;  the  power  of  giving  a  maximum 
of  expression,  with  a  minimum  of  means. 


12  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

The  engraved  line  is  precise,  formal,  the  etched  line 
irregular,  free.  The  engraved  line  is  produced  by  a 
tool  pushed  forward  through  the  copper,  by  an  effort 
which  limits  freedom  of  movement.  The  etched  line 
is  produced  by  acid  biting  somewhat  irregularly  along 
a  channel  made  by  a  steel  point  handled  almost  as 
lightly  as  a  pencil,  scratching  through  a  waxy  layer, 
which  it  needs  no  extra  force  to  pierce,  moving  freely, 
with  a  resultant  unhampered  response  to  the  lightest 
touch  of  the  fingers.  Line  engraving  is  a  slow  process. 
Etching  is  rapid,  spontaneous.  It  calls  for  much 
nicety  of  judgment  and  knowledge  of  process  in  the 
"  biting  "  with  acid,  which  follows  the  initial  step  of 
actual  drawing.  But  in  this  initial  step,  in  the  actual 
placing  of  the  design,  it  responds  easily,  freely  and 
rapidly  to  the  intention  and  touch  of  the  artist. 

Etching  practiced  directly  by  the  artist  as  a  so-called 
"  painter  "  art  or  autographic  art,  with  no  engraver  as 
an  intermediary  between  him  and  the  public,  is  an 
open,  personal  manifestation  of  his  design  and  inten- 
tion, with  the  full  impress  of  his  character. 

The  process  of  pure  etching  is  this :  The  polished 
side  of  a  copper  plate  (zinc  is  occasionally  used)  is 
covered  with  a  thin  layer  of  a  composition  known  as 
"  etching  ground,"  which  may  be  composed  of  white 
wax,  gum  mastic  and  asphaltum,  for  example.  This 
ground  is  smoked  over,  usually  by  means  of  wax 
tapers  twisted  together,  which  process  is  amusingly 
illustrated  in  a  photograph  which  shows  Felix  Buhot 
posing  in  the  very  act.  Upon  the  plate  thus  prepared, 
the  design  is  drawn  with  a  steel  point,  the  "  etching 
needle,"  which,  passing  through  the  "  ground,"  does 


ETCHING  13 

not  cut  into  the  copper  but  simply  lays  it  bare.  The 
copper  at  the  bottom  of  the  lines  thus  drawn  shines 
out  in  contrast  with  the  smoked  ground.  The  plate 
is  subjected  to  the  action  of  acid,  usually  by  being 
placed  in  a  "  bath  "of  the  acid,  the  back  of  the  plate 
being  protected  by  a  coat  of  varnish.  The  acid  eats 
into  the  copper  where  it  has  been  laid  bare  by  the 
needle,  and  does  not  affect  it  where  it  is  still  covered 
by  the  etching  ground.  The  plate  is  then  taken  out 
of  the  acid  and  the  remaining  "  ground  "  removed. 
Ink  is  applied  to  the  surface  of  the  plate,  then  rubbed 
off,  except  where  it  has  entered  the  etched  lines. 

The  printing  is  done  on  a  copper-plate  press,  the 
etched  plate  and  paper  being  laid  on  the  bed  or  plate  of 
the  press  and  drawn  with  the  same  between  revolving 
cylinders  or  rollers,  on  the  principle  of  a  mangle.  By 
this  process,  the  ink  is  drawn  out  of  the  lines 
and  transferred  to  the  paper.  Passing  a  finger  over 
the  surface  of  the  print  thus  produced  discloses  the 
ink  lying  in  slight  ridges ;  so  that,  when  the  lines  have 
been  very  deeply  bitten,  these  ridges  are  comparatively 
thick,  and  there  may  even  be  corresponding  grooves 
in  the  back  of  the  paper,  showing  that  the  pressure  has 
actually  forced  the  paper  into  the  etched  lines.  This 
is  well  illustrated  in  certain  plates  of  Turner's  "  Liber 
Studiorum,"  or  in  Haden's  "  Calais  Pier  "  (the  large 
plate),  after  Turner. 

In  the  production  of  the  final  effect,  very  much 
depends  on  the  biting  and  inking.  It  is  obvious  that, 
if  the  acid  is  allowed  to  act  uniformly  on  all  parts  of 
the  plate,  all  the  lines  will  be  bitten  to  the  same  depth 
and  will  print  equally  heavy  and  dark.  To  offset  this, 


14  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

the  method  known  as  "  stopping-out "  is  employed. 
The  plate  is  left  in  the  bath  long  enough  for  the  acid  to 
bite  properly  the  lines  which  are  to  print  most  faintly 
and  delicately.  It  is  then  taken  out,  and  a  so-called 
"stopping-out  varnish"  (Brunswick  black,  or  asphal- 
tum)  is  applied  over  the  lines  which  have  thus  been 
subjected  long  enough  to  the  acid,  after  which  it  is 
again  placed  in  the  bath.  The  acid  now  acts  only  on 
those  portions  not  protected  by  the  stopping-out  var- 
nish. The  process  is  repeated  for  the  portions  which 
are  to  print  somewhat  heavier  than  the  first,  most  deli- 
cate set  of  lines,  and  so  on,  according  to  desire,  until 
the  lines  last  left  unprotected,  which  have,  of  course, 
been  acted  upon  through  all  the  successive  immersions 
of  the  plate  in  the  acid,  will  print  darkest.  This 
process  of  stopping-out,  as  well  as  the  application  of 
the  burnisher  to  rub  down  lines,  can  result  in  much 
variety  of  effect. 

In  Whistler's  "Kitchen"  (No.  19  in  Wedmore's 
catalogue  of  his  work),  or  his  "  Vieille  aux  Loques  " 
(No.  14),  or  "La  Marchande  de  Moutarde  "  (16), 
the  faint,  grayish  lines  of  the  dishes  and  the  flesh  por- 
tions contrast  with  the  heavy  markings  of  the  adjacent 
shadows.  A  similar  difference  in  strength  of  lines 
appears  in  Haden's  "  Shere  Mill  Pond,"  or  in  Pen- 
nell's  "  St.  James'  Palace  "  and  "  Spitalfields  Church." 

There  is  another  method  of  arriving  at  the  same 
result ;  to  place  the  plate,  covered  with  its  "  etching 
ground,"  in  the  bath,  and  to  draw  upon  it  with  the 
needle  in  this  position.  Each  line,  as  soon  as  drawn, 
lays  bare  so  much  of  the  copper,  which  is  immediately 
attacked  by  the  acid.  It  is  therefore  necessary  that 


ETCHING  15 

those  lines  be  drawn  first  which  are  to  print  most 
heavily,  then  those  that  are  to  appear  a  little  less  dark, 
and  so  on,  the  most  delicate  ones  being  put  in  last. 
This  method  calls  for  colossal  sureness  on  the  part  of 
the  etcher,  an  absolute  knowledge  of  the  action  of  the 
acid,  a  complete  mental  picture  of  his  design,  so  that 
he  may  know  just  what  lines  to  put  down  and  in  what 
sequence.  Hence,  its  use  is  rare. 

If  it  is  desired  to  add  work  to  a  plate  already  bitten, 
that  can  be  done  either  by  laying  a  fresh  ground 
(transparent,  this  time)  on  the  plate  and  proceeding 
as  before,  or  by  scratching  the  lines  with  the  point  into 
the  bare  copper,  which  process,  needing  no  acid,  is 
known  as  "  dry-point." 

If,  after  a  plate  has  been  inked,  the  ink  on  the  sur- 
face were  thoroughly  wiped  off, — which  is  done  with 
rags  and  finally  with  the  ball  of  the  hand, — the  result 
would  be  such  as  can  be  seen  on  a  visiting  card,  where' 
the  black  letters  appear  on  a  perfectly  white  ground. 
Even  the  most  "  clean-wiped  "  etching  is  rarely  quite 
as  clean-wiped  as  that,  however.  The  space  covered 
by  the  etching  is  nearly  always  a  little  darker  than  the 
margin  of  white  paper  around  it.  This  is  caused  by 
a  thin  film  of  ink  covering  the  etched  portion  of  the 
plate.  Sometimes  this  film  of  ink,  this  thin  grayish 
tone,  is  so  slight  that  the  lines  of  the  etching  stand 
out  sharply  from  the  background  of  paper.  But  in 
many  cases  more  ink  is  left  on  the  plate,  so  that  the 
spaces  between  the  lines  are  more  or  less  filled  up  with 
a  tone  that  softens  the  comparative  sharpness  of  the 
bitten  line.1 

The  ink  is  not  usually  left  in  a  tint  of  dead  uniform- 

JThe  later   states   of  Rembrandt's   "Entombment"    were  usually  printed 
with  a  dark  tint  of  ink. 


16  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

ity,  but  varies  in  strength.  The  importance  of  this 
film  of  ink  can  even  become  paramount.  In  Whistler's 
"  Nocturne-Salute"  (No.  199),  and  "  Nocturne-Ship- 
ping" (No.  194),  there  are  but  a  few  lines  as  a  sort 
of  skeleton  support,  while  ink  left  on  the  plate  gives 
an  effect  which  varies,  of  course,  with  each  impression. 
Mielatz's  "  Passing  Storm "  is  built  up  similarly, 
though  not  to  the  same  extent. 

"  What  is  the  secret  of  etching  as  I  obtain  it  ?  "  said 
Lepic.  "  It  is  the  use  of  ink  and  rag.  With  these 
two  one  can  obtain  everything  from  a  plate.  I  am 
master  before  my  plate  as  before  my  canvas.  I  can 
transform  all  subjects  according  to  my  fancy,  modify 
their  effects." 

And  he  demonstrated  this  theory,  says  Beraldi,  by 
printing  a  view  on  the  banks  of  the  Escaut  in  eighty- 
five  different  manners,  obtaining  from  the  same  plate 
Hn  turn  day  and  night  effects,  sunset,  moonrise,  etc. 

Various  etchers,  such  as  Martial,  Herkomer,  La- 
lanne,  Hamerton  and  Short,  have  published  manuals 
embodying  the  results  of  experiments  in  the  composi- 
tion of  grounds,  in  biting  and  in  printing. 

There  are  niceties  of  manipulation  to  gain  farther 
varieties  of  effect.  One  of  these  is  known  as  retrous- 
sage.  This  consists  in  a  peculiar  handling  of  rags, 
when  wiping  the  surface  of  the  plate,  by  which  some 
ink  is  lifted  out  of  the  etched  lines  on  to  the  plate. 
Or  again,  rags  of  a  certain  grain  are  used,  producing 
a  peculiar  scratched  effect  in  the  film  of  ink.  Her- 
komer has  in  his  book  a  portrait  printed  in  visiting- 
card  style,  and  again  retroussaged,  "  to  show  how 
much  printing  can  do  for  an  etching."  Paper,  too, 


ETCHING  17 

is  an  important  factor.  The  delight  is  great  of  the 
etcher  who  has  managed  to  pick  up  in  some  second- 
hand shop  an  old,  hardly  used  account-book  of  old 
French  or  Dutch  hand-made  paper. 

All  of  this  shows  that  the  printing  of  an  etching 
implies  a  full  understanding  of  the  artist's  intentions, 
and  often  is  a  decided  expression  of  personality.  Not 
a  few  artists  are  their  own  printers.  Whistler  often 
worked  the  press,  and  there  is  an  interesting  photo- 
graph, taken  not  very  long  before  his  death,  which 
shows  him  standing  at  the  press,  studying  a  proof  just 
pulled. 

All  the  methods  described  are  within  the  province 
of  pure  etching.  But  there  are  many  other  ways  of 
producing  effects.  Dry-point  may  be  used  to  advan- 
tage in  portions  of  the  plate.  Tools  and  processes  used 
in  various  branches  of  engraving  are  borrowed;  lines 
are  strengthened  with  the  burin  (graver),  shadows 
are  intensified  with  the  roulette  (a  small,  toothed 
wheel),  for  example  by  Boissieu,1  tones  are  produced 
by  means  of  aquatint,  and  by  other  processes  noted  in 
the  chapter  on  aquatint.  Herkomer  finds  that  Meryon 
"  used  the  burin  in  finishing  his  bitten  work  with  a 
marvelous  skill;  no  better  example  can  be  found  of  the 
harmonious  combination  of  the  two." 

"  Foul  biting "  (the  spotty  action  of  the  acid  at 
places  where  the  ground  has  not  been  properly  laid), 
sometimes  a  fortuitous  and  damaging  effect,  is  occa- 
sionally applied  with  forethought,  instances  being 
furnished  by  Jacque,  Yale  and  Mielatz.  There  are 
many  such  extraneous  effects  to  be  found,  produced  by 
ways  and  means  beyond  the  limits  of  absolute  etching. 

'Whistler's    "The    Doorway"    (Mansfield's   catalogue,    no.    ug4)    shows 
rouletting  in  the  water. 


18  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

Felix  Buhot  was  a  veritable  juggler  with  processes; 
his  etchings  form  a  study  of  clever  manipulation. 
Guerard  also  experimented  much,  and  Bracquemond 
has  tried  all  manner  of  processes,  among  them  the 
Vial,  which  "  consists  in  letting  acid  act  on  a  plate  of 
steel  that  has  been  drawn  upon  with  lithographic  ink." 
Charles  Jacque,  who  produced  many  etchings,  used 
various  processes  to  gain  quick  results,  and  occasion- 
ally even  went  to  the  questionable  extreme  of  employ- 
ing the  ruling  machine.  That  is  a  contrivance  used 
in  modern  line  engraving,  which  rules  parallel  lines 
the  same  distance  from  each  other,  producing  a  dead 
mechanical  effect,  and  employed  especially  for  skies. 
L.  M.  Yale  used  a  bundle  of  needles,  instead  of  the 
ordinary  etching  point,  on  foreground  and  trees  in  one 
of  his  plates  (No.  44). 

"  It  would  be  curious  to  ascertain,"  says  a  French 
critic,  in  re  Jacquemart's  etchings  of  book-bindings, 
"  by  what  new  and  ingenious  processes,  by  what  ruses 
and  stratagems,  one  might  say,  the  artist  has  been  able 
to  obtain  certain  astonishing  results  of  exactitude  and 
ocular  deception :  etching  mixed  with  aquatint,  rub- 
bing, graining  and  stippling,  reddish  and  black  inks, 
the  simultaneous  employment  of  old  rags,  pieces  of 
cloth,  waxing  brushes  and  other  similar  barbarous  in- 
struments." 

An  artist's  experiments  on  copper  may  at  times  be 
of  such  a  nature  as  to  baffle  the  expert's  attempt  to 
ascertain  how  a  certain  effect  was  attained.  In  such 
a  case  it  is  enough  to  enjoy  the  result — if  it  is  one 
to  be  enjoyed — without  worrying  about  the  cause. 

Sir  Seymour  Haden,  discrediting  the  statement  that 


ETCHING  19 

Rembrandt  employed  mysterious  contrivances  to  pro- 
duce much  of  his  success,  expressed  himself  strongly 
against  the  use  of  such  aids.  Said  he :  "  All  the  great 
painter-engravers,  in  common  with  all  great  artists, 
worked  simply  and  with  the  simplest  tools.  It  is 
only  the  mechanical  engraver  and  copyist  who  depends 
for  what  he  calls  his  '  quality '  on  a  multiplicity  of 
instrumental  aids  which,  in  fact,  do  the  work  for 
him — the  object  of  the  whole  of  them  being  to  make 
that  work  as  easy  to  an  assistant  as  to  the  engraver 
himself,  and  its  inevitable  effect  to  reduce  that  which 
was  once  an  art  to  the  level  of  a  metier" 

It  must  not  be  overlooked,  however,  that  there  is 
after  all  a  decided  difference  between  the  use  of  the 
ruling  machine  to  make  a  mechanical  sky  with  little 
trouble,  and  the  employment  of  various  methods  not 
to  save  time  or  labor  but  to  arrive  at  certain  effects. 
Experiments  are  not  illegitimate,  even  if  unsuccessful. 

Dry-point  (pointe  seche,  Kaltnadel),  referred  to  be- 
fore, means  the  use  of  a  needle1  directly  on  the  bare 
copper,  unprotected  by  any  "  ground."  The  lines  in 
this  case  are  scratched  directly  into  the  copper,  so  that 
no  acid  bath  is  used.  As  the  needle  digs  furrows  in 
the  plate,  it  throws  up  a  ridge  of  metal  on  the  side, 
technically  known  as  "  burr."  This  ridge,  or  "  burr," 
in  printing,  yields  the  rich,  velvety  blacks  characteris- 
tic of  dry-point  work,  and  found  in  the  work  of  the 
old  masters  as  well  as  in  that  of  modern  artists. 
There  is  a  possibility  of  abusing  this  effect.  Too 
much  inky  blackness  of  shadow,  with  no  translucency, 
may  become  wearisome  through  an  inartistic  heavy 
spottiness.  Unfortunately,  this  ridge  is  soon  crushed 

1  "  Sharpened  in  a  peculiar  manner."— P.  G.  HAMERTON. 

"Sharpened  at  a  more  obtuse  angle  than  for  etching."— Note,  South  Ken- 
sington Museum  exhibition. 


20  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

down  in  the  press,  so  that  it  no  longer  holds  ink 
properly.  Consequently  the  plate  yields  only  a  small 
number  of  good  impressions. 

There  is  a  sort  of  affinity  between  dry-point  and 
mezzotint.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  Sir  Seymour 
Haden,  in  his  lecture  on  "  Rembrandt  True  and 


LION'S  HEAD. 
Soft-ground  etching  by  Armand  Point. 

The  original  is  printed  in  red  ink,  which  further  carries  out  the 
suggestion  of  a  red  chalk  drawing. 

False,"  states  that  in  the  first  part  of  Rembrandt's 
career  his  etchings  were  bitten  in,  in  the  second  they 
were  afterward  touched  up  by  dry-point,  and  in  the 
last  he  depended  on  dry-point  alone. 

Soft-ground  etching  is  a  more  recently  developed 
phase  of  the  art.  For  this,  the  "  ground  "  is  mixed 
with  tallow  in  order  to  make  it  soft.  On  top  of  this 
ground  a  piece  of  paper  is  laid,  and  on  this  paper 
the  drawing  is  made  with  a  pencil.  Wherever  the 


ETCHING  21 

pencil  touches,  the  ground  will  adhere  to  the  paper 
and  come  off  with  it  when  it  is  lifted  up.  The  re- 
sultant lines,  subjected  in  the  usual  way  to  the  action 
of  acid,  print  as  broken  lines,  with  the  effect  of  a 
pencil  drawing  on  coarse-grained  paper.  In  the  late 
eighteenth  and  early  nineteenth  centuries  this  method 
was  used  for  portraits,  which  had  some  similarity  to 
the  pale  lithographs  of  that  time.  The  plates  in 
"Liber  Studiorum  "  (1838),  by  John  Sell  Cotman, 
are  done  in  soft  ground  etching,  which  was  em- 
ployed also  by  Samuel  Prout.  "  Interior  of  a 
Church,"  No.  70  in  J.  M.  W.  Turner's  "  Liber  Stu- 
diorum," was  mezzotinted  on  a  soft-ground  etching, 
and  in  later  years  Frank  Short  has  worked  in  this 
medium,  producing  "  Maxwell  Bank,"  among  other 
plates.  It  was  occasionally  used  by  Jacque,  and  con- 
siderably by  Louis  Marvy.  Rops  and  other  artists 
are  represented  by  some  plates  in  A.  Delatre's  pam- 
phlet on  "Soft  Ground"  (Vernis  mou).  Max  Lie- 
bermann  has  employed  the  medium,  and  it  has  further- 
more been  used  in  the  United  States  by  J.  D.  Smillie, 
C  A.  Vanderhoof,  C.  F.  W.  Mielatz,  whose  "  Road 
to  the  Beach  "  ( 1890)  is  executed  in  soft  ground,  rou- 
lette, and  aquatint,  Henry  Farrer,  Kruseman  van 
Elten  and  A.  T.  Millar. 

Thus,  the  technical  difficulties  and  possibilities  in 
etching  are  manifold. 

Comparison  of  the  works  of  the  many  whose  names 
are  known  in  the  annals  of  etching  will  show  the  sup- 
pleness and  expressiveness  of  the  art,  despite  its 
apparent  limitations.  Artists  of  the  most  varied  styles 
and  temperaments,  of  widely  different  national  and 


22  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

individual  characteristics,  have  sought  and  found  ex- 
pression with  the  etching-needle;  some  with  greater 
success,  some  with  less,  but  each  presenting  his  view, 
giving  utterance  to  his  personality.  In  some  cases 
we  have  simply  a  painter  making  notes  in  another 
medium,  using  it  as  a  vehicle  for  sketching  without 
going  too  deeply  into  its  mysteries  or  intricacies  of 
technical  possibilities.  Or  we  see  an  artist  honestly 
and  cleverly  working  within  prescribed  lines  imposed 
by  the  style  of  some  more  noted  etcher  who  has  par- 
ticularly influenced  him.  In  fact,  while  there  are  many 
who  attract  us  by  choice  of  subject,  or  some  charm 
of  treatment  or  grace  of  line  or  errant  mood  or  tech- 
nical facility,  the  really  great  masters  of  the  art,  whose 
personality  is  indelibly  and  unmistakably  impressed 
upon  their  productions,  are  comparatively  few. 

Furthermore,  the  artist  who  considers  such  a  seri- 
ous business  as  etching  or  illustrating  or  even  carica- 
turing merely  as  a  bit  of  by-play,  as  an  occasional 
artistic  drudgery  necessary  for  boiling  the  pot,  is  not 
the  one  that  arrives  at  complete  and  self-satisfying 
attainment.  A  predisposition  of  artistic  character 
is  one  of  the  prime  essentials  to  success  in  such  a 
specialty.  Artists  such  as  Rembrandt,  Whistler, 
Haden,  Meryon,  Zorn,  differing  in  degree,  perhaps, 
and  certainly  in  kind,  in  viewpoint  and  mental 
make-up,  have  this  in  common,  that  they  give  ex- 
pression to  their  individuality  with  consummate  skill 
and  with  a  proper  adjustment  of  the  means  they 
employ  to  the  end  they  have  in  view. 

Etching  is  etching.    It  is  nothing  else. 

If  a  clever  illustrator  blithely  attacks  the  copper  in  the 


ETCHING  23 

same  manner  in  which  he  executes  a  pen  drawing,  he 
will  miss  his  point.  If  the  painter  uses  the  etching 
needle  simply  to  make  a  sketch  as  he  would  with  pencil, 
he  will  fail  to  draw  from  it  the  best  it  can  give.  The 
peculiar  quality  of  the  etching,  its  particular  charm 
of  suggestion,  is  somewhat  intangible,  perhaps,  evad- 
ing elementary  analysis.  But  it  will  be  brought  out 
in  the  study  of  the  works  of  the  most  noted  exponents 
of  the  possibilities  of  this  art. 

Rembrandt  is  generally  considered  the  master  of 
the  art,  the  representative  etcher.  It  is  not  necessary 
to  go  into  the  comparative  claim  set  up  for  Whistler. 
They  were  different  natures,  and  it  is  just  as  well 
to  give  each  his  due  without  any  dispute  as  to  pre- 
eminence. Rembrandt  in  his  etchings,  as  in  his  paint- 
ings, often  strove  for  strong  effects  of  light  and  shade, 
chiaroscuro  as  it  is  called,  and  he  shows  big  qualities 
in  his  work  on  the  copper  as  in  that  with  brush  and 
color.  But  we  must  not  feel  appalled  at  this  gigantic 
figure  looming  up  through  the  centuries.  Let  us  rather 
approach  him  with  open  eyes,  ready  to  meet  him 
half-way.  It  will  be  to  find  that  he,  too,  had  his 
faults,  and  to  like  him  all  the  better  for  it.  We  have 
men  to-day  who  can  draw  some  details  more  precisely 
than  Rembrandt.  Many  a  young  artist  might  scorn 
to  draw  an  architectural  interior  as  poorly  as  did  Rem- 
brandt in  some  of  his  etchings. 

And  yet,  if  the  work  of  such  a  capable  and  clever 
draughtsman  is  placed  beside  that  of  Rembrandt,  what 
a  difference!  To  see  it,  you  must,  of  course,  free 
your  attitude  from  any  admiration  of  mere  cleanness 
of  line  and  neatness  of  statement.  It  is  well  to  re- 


24  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

member,  also,  that  a  statement  in  speech  may  be 
erroneous,  yet  delivered  in  so  decided  and  positive  a 
tone  as  to  carry  conviction  to  those  not  conversant 
with  the  subject.  So,  too,  in  art.  Compare  the  lines 
of  a  petty  realist  with  those  of  Rembrandt,  put  down 
roughly ,,  vigorously,  delicately,  apparently  slightingly, 
as  seemed  most  fit  in  each  case,  with  a  craftsmanship 
shown  only  by  him  who  is  so  entirely  sure  of  himself 
that  he  knows  just  what  to  say  and  how  to  say  it, 
and  can  leave  out  all  but  the  most  essential  facts. 
Rembrandt  practiced  well  the  arts  of  suggestion  and 
omission,  leaving  the  imagination  of  the  spectator  to 
do  much  of  the  work. 

Rembrandt's  range  is  wide  and  his  power  of  ex- 
pression varied.  The  same  hand  that  dashed  off  the 
not  very  important  little  sketch  "Six's  Bridge"  (an 
impromptu  done,  according  to  the  familiar  anecdote, 
while  Burgomaster  Six's  servant  had  run  out  to  get 
some  mustard,  dinner  being  already  on  the  table) ,  pro- 
duced also  the  finely  worked-out  portrait  of  Burgo- 
master Six,  standing  reading  with  his  back  to  a  win- 
dow. This  last  is  a  beautiful  print,  with  its  transparent 
shadows  of  an  almost  mezzotint-like  effect,  but  the 
work  on  the  plate  is  so  delicate,  especially  on  the  face, 
that  not  many  good  impressions  are  met  with.  Rem- 
brandt's variety  of  treatment  is  always  a  joy.  The 
summary,  crisp  manner  in  which  he  sets  down  a  land- 
scape— such  as  the  one  "  with  a  Ruined  Tower  "  or  the 
" Goldweigher's  Field,"  or  "Landscape  with  an  Obe- 
lisk," or  "  Village  with  a  Square  Tower  " — in  a  few 
well-chosen  lines  is  in  interesting  contrast  to  the  use 
of  many  lines  to  produce  solid  masses  of  shadow.  We 


REMBRANDT  DRAWING. 

Etching  by  Rembrandt. 
(Middleton    160,    Bartsch   22,    Blanc   235.) 


ETCHING  25 

see  the  latter,  for  example,  in  his  portrait  of  himself 
(he  was  his  own  most  faithful  and  most  used  model), 
drawing  at  a  window.  A  delightful  presentation  of 
personality  this  is,  a  sympathetic  study  of  character 
that  appeals  to  us  because  it  meets  our  human 
sympathies. 

His  portraits  and  landscapes  form,  on  the  whole, 
perhaps  the  best  and  most  interesting  portion  of  his 
work,  and  that  least  touched  by  successive  cataloguers 
in  their  task  of  eliminating  from  the  list  of  his  etch- 
ings those  of  less  than  doubtful  authenticity.  I  should 
think  that  they  would  certainly  appeal  most  strongly 
to  those  who  are  first  becoming  acquainted,  so  to 
speak,  with  Rembrandt.  Especially  the  portraits, 
among  which,  beside  those  already  mentioned,  are 
those  of  Clement  de  Jonghe,  the  printseller;  Jacob 
Hareng;  Dr.  Ephraim  Bonus  (which  it  is  interesting 
to  compare,  as  a  character-study,  with  the  same  sub- 
ject portrayed  by  J.  Lievens) ;  John  Lutma,  the  gold- 
smith; Cornelius  Anslo,  the  celebrated  preacher;  Jan 
Sylvius;  the  picture  of  his  mother,  seated,  looking  to 
the  right  (beautiful  in  its  summary  indication  of  the 
texture  of  flesh,  dress,  etc.,  by  varying  the  handling 
of  the  point)  ;  and  the  picture  of  himself  "  leaning  on 
a  Stone  Sill,"  a  splendid  example  of  etching. 

"  The  difference  between  these  portraits  and  too 
many  modern  ones,"  says  Hamerton  ("  The  Etchings 
of  Rembrandt,"  London,  1894),  "is  that  these  have 
dignity  without  pretension,  whereas  the  others  have 
pretension  without  dignity." 

Quite  recently  some  critic  asserted  that,  if  Whistler 
had  etched  landscapes  instead  of  street  scenes,  he 


26  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

would  perforce  have  done  them  in  the  style  of  Rem- 
brandt, who  had  practically  said  the  last  word  in  that 
specialty.  In  his  landscape  etchings,  says  Atherton 
Curtis,  "  he  is  as  modern  as  the  men  of  the  nineteenth 
century  themselves." 

It  would  be  well  to  take  up  the  study  of  these 
portraits  and  landscapes  before  going  too  deeply  into 
the  other  subjects. 

A  plate  like  the  "  Christ  Healing  the  Sick  "  (known 
as  the  "  Hundred  Guilder  Print "  because  Rembrandt 
sold  a  copy  of  it  for  that  amount)  is  not  so  easily 
understood  at  first.  In  fact,  it  is  not  advisable  that 
one  who  has  not  studied  Rembrandt  before  should  go 
through  all  of  his  works  at  once.  That  would  be  apt 
to  produce  a  case  of  artistic  indigestion.  There  are 
things  in  some  of  his  plates  that  might  offend  the 
untrained  eye,  uncouth  models  at  sight  of  whom  the 
inexperienced  might  ask,  "  Why  was  this  drawn  ?  " 
Then,  too,  some  of  his  etchings  are  simple  memoranda, 
a  matter  not  infrequently  encountered  in  the  etched 
work  of  painters.  Furthermore,  he  experimented  and 
his  art  developed  very  noticeably,  so  that  his  etchings 
are  not  at  all  of  uniform  excellence  either  as  regards 
command  of  the  medium  or  power  in  drawing.  They 
display  great  diversity  of  manner.  Much  has  been 
written  about  Rembrandt,  but  a  series  of  articles  by 
C.  J.  Holmes  on  "  The  Development  of  Rembrandt 
as  an  Etcher,"  in  the  Burlington  Magazine,  1906, 
particularly  emphasizes  this  matter  of  artistic  growth. 

To  begin  with,  one  might  study  the  plates  I  have 
mentioned,  and  others,  such  as  "  Faust,"  "  An  Old 
Woman  Sleeping,"  some  of  the  fine  heads  of  old  men, 


ETCHING  27 

"  The  Mountebank,"  "  Death  of  the  Virgin  "  (which 
Hamerton  pronounces  the  greatest  of  Rembrandt's 
works  for  "  nobility  and  grandeur  of  conception,  and 
beauty  of  style  in  execution"),  "The  Three  Trees" 
(a  well-known  and  popular  landscape  subject  of  dra- 
matic effect),  and,  later  on,  some  of  the  scriptural  sub- 
jects which,  as  Lippmann  said,  "  appear  like  weird 
visions  wrapped  in  mysterious  light :  witness  his  pow- 
erful crucifixion  known  as  '  The  Three  Crosses.' ' 

Or,  if  the  originals  are  not  to  be  seen,  access  may 
be  had  to  good  reproductions,  such  as  those  issued  by 
Amand  Durand,  or  the  ones  accompanying  the  books 
on  Rembrandt  by  Dutuit  or  Blanc  in  the  larger  public 
libraries.  If  they,  are  studied  with  a  desire  to  under- 
stand, the  strong  personality,  the  big  heart  and  soul 
that  speak  to  you  from  out  of  these  works  will  speedily 
be  felt  and  appreciated.  It  has  been  pointed  out  by 
one  authority  that  "  in  such  matters  as  the  use  of  dif- 
ferent qualities  of  shade,  thickness  of  line  and  depths 
of  biting,  the  cleverest  professional  etcher  "  of  the 
seventies  and  eighties  was  the  superior  of  Rembrandt ; 
the  latter's  supremacy  is  mental.  It  was  a  supreme 
power  that  could  endue  a  not  at  all  faultless  plate  such 
as  "  David  on  His  Knees  "  with  a  "  pathetic  intensity 
of  sentiment." 

Rembrandt  is  a  colossal  figure  in  art,  one  might  say, 
similar  to  Beethoven  in  music.  His  influence  has  been 
far-reaching  and  continues.  He  had  numerous  fol- 
lowers, imitators  and  copiers — Ferdinard  Bol,  Jan 
Lievens,  J.  G.  Van  Vliet,  and  others  in  his  own  cen- 
tury. Later,  J.  P.  Norblin,  that  Frenchman  in  Po- 
land ;  G.  F.  Schmidt,  Marie  Lecomte,  Castiglione,  Wil- 


28  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

Ham  Baillie,  Thomas  Worlidge  and  Andrew  Geddes 
imitated  him  with  more  or  less  success. 

It  will  not  do  to  become  impressed  with  the  idea, 
after  all  that  has  been  said  here  and  by  others,  that, 
because  Rembrandt  was  a  giant,  others  have  no  right 
to  be  heard,  especially  moderns.  The  pre-eminence  of 
a  Shakespeare  or  a  Goethe  does  not  prevent  us  from 
enjoying  the  writings  of  lesser  lights.  We  have  many 
artists  of  ability  even  in  our  own  day,  and  more 
than  one  of  powerful  mastery,  who  have  had  the  ages 
back  of  them  to  learn  from  and  build  on.  In  pure 
technique  the  best  of  them  show  a  decided  advance 
over  former  times.  Some  of  them  may  even  supply 
us  with  beauties  or  specialties  that  were  beyond  a 
greater  man.  Rembrandt,  for  instance,  to  judge  by 
his  landscape  etchings,  had  a  knowledge  of  water  that 
was  limited  as  compared  with  that  attained  by  modern 
artists  such  as  Haden,  Storm  van  's  Gravesande,  or  C. 
A.  Platt. 

The  number  of  Rembrandt's  etchings  is  compara- 
tively limited,  but  there  is  plenty  of  modern  work 
worthy  of  our  attention,  and  within  the  means  of  not 
a  few  of  us  who  may  desire  not  only  to  enjoy  but 
to  possess. 

Of  course,  evidence  of  influence  of  master  minds 
cannot  be  avoided.  But  neither  can  it  be  avoided  in 
the  work  of  the  contemporaries  of  Rembrandt  and 
the  other  few  who  hold  pre-eminence.  In  fact,  there 
is  apt  to  be  more  downright  copying  or  imitation  on 
the  part  of  pupils  or  followers  of  a  man  like  Rem- 
brandt than  there  is  in  the  work  of  those  who  come 
over  two  centuries  after,  with  whom  it  is  rather  a 


ETCHING  29 

matter  of  assimilation  of  certain  principles  of  action, 
certain  methods  of  expression  stamped  upon  the  prac- 
tice of  etching;  as,  one  might  say,  an  inventor  or 
scientific  discoverer  building  on,  or  incorporating, 
some  known  principles  in  attaining  his  results;  or  a 
modern  philosopher  dilating  on  and  following  to  their 
ultimate  consequences  some  theories  propounded  by 
his  predecessors. 

Certain  names  in  Rembrandt's  century  stand  out 
prominently  above  the  rest,  because  of  more  or  less 
powerfully  expressed  individuality. 

The  landscapes  of  Claude,  the  scenes  from  peasant 
life  by  Ostade,  the  animal  pieces  by  Berghem,  the  less 
elegant  but  clear-sighted  Paul  Potter  and  Karel  Du 
Jardin,  the  portraits  of  Van  Dyck — these  prints  re- 
main among  the  most  delightful  that  have  come  down 
to  us  from  that  period.  And  there  are  other  names: 
the  Van  de  Veldes,  Everdingen,  Ruysdael,  Waterloo, 
Zeeman — a  long  list  that  offers  many  pleasant  by- 
paths to  the  student  of  the  art.  Even  the  minor  men 
have  their  interest,  their  own  particular  note, — mon 
verre  est  petit,  mats  je  bois  dans  mon  verre.  And 
where  a  man's  art  is  imitative  or  adaptative,  he  at  least 
helps  to  accentuate  the  influence  of  some  greater  one 
or  to  indicate  tendencies  of  special  schools  or  nation- 
alities. 

Claude  Lorraine,  whose  etchings  show  a  noteworthy 
degree  of  finish,  produced  his  masterpiece  in  the 
Bouvier  ("Cowherd"),  rich  in  atmospheric  effect. 
"  Its  transparency  and  gradation  have  never  been 
surpassed,"  said  Hamerton.  Good  characterization 
and  a  fine  sense  of  composition  are  dominant  features' 


30  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

in  the  work  of  Ostade,  in  whose  "  The  Family,"  and 
"  Peasant  Paying  his  Reckoning,"  he  accomplishes  his 
result  by  the  simplest  means,  and  has  no  variety  of 
treatment  such  as  Rembrandt  brought  to  play.  He, 
too,  had  his  pupils  and  followers,  Bega  and  others. 
Van  Dyck's  etchings  show  his  own  work  only  in  the 
early  stages,  having  usually  been  finished  by  others. 
These  portraits,  "  in  view  of  their  power  of  expression 
and  fineness  of  conception,  stand  at  the  summit,"  says 
Lippmann,  and  that  despite  the  fact  that  Van  Dyck 
never  entirely  mastered  the  technique  of  the  art. 

These  men,  as  is  not  unfrequently  the  case  with 
painters  who  etch  casually,  have  only  a  limited  num- 
ber of  plates  to  their  credit.  Hollar,  on  the  other 
hand,  devoted  himself  to  etching,  and  was  very  pro- 
ductive. He  was  much  ground  down  by  the  print- 
sellers,  working  often  at  pitiful  rates,  and  many  of  his 
views  and  portraits  are  unimaginative  and  somewhat 
perfunctory.  Yet  his  little  views  are  a  delight  to  the 
eye  even  through  their  execution,  for  he  was  withal 
an  ingenious  and  versatile  craftsman,  and  one  recalls 
with  pleasure  his  remarkable  studies  of  muffs  and 
shells.  Rembrandt,  it  will  be  remembered,  did  one 
or  two  plates  of  similar  subjects.  Haden,  who  him- 
self formed  a  most  noteworthy  collection  of  Hollar's 
work,  says  that  his  "  Nave  of  St.  George's  Chapel  " 
"  is  the  most  amazing  piece  of  '  biting '  '  that  he 
knows,  "  as  to  gradation  and  finesse." 

Another  prolific  etcher  was  Jacques  Callot,  whose 
series  "  Miseries  of  War  "  is  perhaps  the  best  known 
of  his  works.  He  pictured  the  beggars  and  the 
soldiers  of  his  time  with  much  realism  despite  his 


ETCHING  31 

mannerisms,  and  with  a  remarkable  skill  in  arranging 
large  and  complicated  groups  of  figures.  Delia  Bella, 
somewhat  akin  to  Callot,  had  a  free  style. 

In  the  eighteenth  century  the  art  of  painter-etching 
declined,  and  line  engraving  had  its  day,  in  France 
especially.  One  finds  much  etching  in  the  plates  en- 
graved for  book  illustrations,  delicate,  graceful  work 
by  or  after  Moreau  le  jeune,  Gravelot,  Aug.  de  St. 
Aubin,  etc.  In  Prussia,  Chodowiecki  was  a  painstak- 
ing, trustworthy  and  not  too  emotional  chronicler  of 
the  life  of  his  native  land.  He  lacked  the  finesse  and 
grace  of  the  French,  but  had  an  honest  bourgeois  way 
of  rendering  bourgeois  surroundings. 

Original  etching-  was  not  entirely  dormant,  but  it 
was  not  a  period  for  masters  of  the  art.  Boissieu, 
Dietrich  (clever,  but  imitative),  Weirotter  and  Kobell 
were  among  the  skillful  painter-etchers  of  the  time  in 
France  and  Germany. 

However,  the  minor  etchers  also  strike  their  special 
note  of  interest.  I  knew  one  collector  who  derived 
much  satisfaction  from  the  possession  and  contem- 
plation of  a  portfolio  of  etchings  by  Boissieu.  In  the 
first  place,  he  appreciated  the  undoubted  ability  of  that 
artist;  and,  in  the  second  place,  a  more  or  less  com- 
plete collection  of  his  etchings  was  within  the  possi- 
bilities of  his  pocketbook,  which  a  set  of  Rembrandt's 
would  not  have  been.  Both  good  reasons ! 

During  the  same  period,  Italy,  where  Castiglione, 
Ribera  and  Rosa  had  in  the  preceding  (seventeenth) 
century  won  distinction,  had  Tiepolo  (whose  painting 
is  exactly  reflected  in  the  swing  and  dash  of  his  work 
on  the  copper),  Canaletto  (Venice  views)  and  G.  B. 


32  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

Piranesi.  The  last  named  presented  the  architectural 
beauties  of  Rome  in  large  plates  full  of  grand  effects 
and  strong  contrasts  of  light  and  shade,  which  should 
be  seen  in  fine  impressions. 

Still  in  the  eighteenth  century,  but  reaching  into  the 
nineteenth,  was  the  Spaniard  Goya,  a  man  of  fiery 
temperament,  audacious  and  revolutionary.  His  "  Ca- 
prices "  and  "  Proverbs,"  with  their  scathing,  brutal 
satire,  and  the  relentless,  horrible  presentation  of  the 
"  Miseries  of  War,"  are  outpourings  of  a  fantastic 
imagination  or  comments  of  a  wildly  energetic  per- 
sonality. And  it  is  this  powerful,  uncanny  expression 
of  his  nature  that  makes  these  plates  fascinating, 
rather  than  any  evidence  of  remarkable  technique  that 
may  show  through  the  nervous,  daring  execution,  with 
its  flat  tints  in  aquatint. 

Toward  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century  there 
came  a  revival  of  etching  in  France.  This  revival 
affected  both  original  and  reproductive  etching,  and 
was  furthered  by  the  enterprise  of  publishers  such  as 
Cadart,  and  of  the  art-periodicals  L' Artiste,  Gazette 
des  Beaux-Arts,  and  L'Art,  which,  like  the  Portfolio 
in  England,  published  many  plates,  thus  popularizing 
the  art  and  encouraging  those  who  practiced  it.  As 
a  result,  the  etching  needle  was  not  only  wielded  by 
painters  who  turned  to  it  casually,  but  by  a  class  of 
artists  who  devoted  themselves  to  it  almost  exclu- 
sively. A  large  proportion  of  their  work  was 
reproductive. 

Daubigny,  Corot,  Jacque,  Meissonier,  Huet,  Vey- 
rassat,  and  other  painters  found  in  etching  a  congenial 
method  of  expression,  and  some  of  them  handled  it 


ETCHING  33 

in  the  true  spirit  of  the  etcher.  Millet,  in  twenty 
plates  or  so,  made  simple,  bold,  sympathetic  use  of 
the  medium,  producing  work  that  is  delightfully  char- 
acteristic in  intent,  execution  and  feeling. 

Bracquemond,  notwithstanding  his  other  activities, 
found  time  to  etch  nearly  eight  hundred  plates.  Many 
of  these  are  designs  for  ceramics,  occasional  pieces, 
portraits,  illustrations  and  other  things  that  lack  the 
mastery  of  his  best  work.  Among  the  latter  must  be 
reckoned  some  of  his  studies  of  birds,  remarkable  in 
their  texture  of  feathers  and  their  understanding  of 
bird-life:  for  example,  "  Le  haut  d'un  Battant  de 
Porte"  (four  dead  birds  nailed  to  a  barn  door); 
"  Margot  la  Critique,"  some  pictures  of  ducks,  and 
"  Le  vieux  Coq,"  that  magnificent  old  chanticleer,  the 
prototype  of  his  kind,  a  masterpiece  of  fowl  charac- 
terization. A  variant  of  this  last  subject  came  from 
the  needle  of  Bracquemond,  on  the  occasion  of  the 
visit  of  the  Russian  fleet  to  Toulon  in  1893,  in  the 
shape  of  the  Gallic  cock,  robustly  self-assertive,  in 
the  full  feathers  of  aggressive  maturity,  raucously  and 
triumphantly  crowing  his  "  Vive  le  Tsar !  " 

In  plates  such  as  his  "  Erasmus,"  after  Holbein,  he 
showed  a  masterly  grasp  of  the  necessities  of  repro- 
ductive etching.  And  one  feels  a  touch  of  Holbein  in 
the  portrait  which  Bracquemond,  at  twenty,  painted 
of  himself,  his  left  hand  holding  the  bottle  of  acid, 
the  other  etching  paraphernalia  on  the  table  at  his  side. 
An  experimenter,  using  combinations  of  processes,  his 
most  prominent  characteristics  are  robustness,  ver- 
satility and  a  resourceful  mastery  of  technique. 

Jacquemart  has  a  place  apart,  as  a  master  of  still- 


34  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

life.  He  completely  controlled  the  process  of  etching, 
and  apparently  exhausted  its  resources  in  giving  rich- 
ness and  life  to  inanimate  objects.  Choice  examples 
of  ceramics,  Chinese  and  Japanese  bronzes  and 
enamels,  exquisite  work  in  glass,  rock-crystal,  jade, 
sardonyx  and  agate,  jewelry,  elaborate  products  of 
the  goldsmith's  art  set  with  precious  stones,  he  repro- 
duced on  copper.  He  showed  a  marvelous  skill  in 
rendering  textures  and  bringing  out  the  very  character 
of  the  material.  He  delighted  in  placing  articles  of 
different  material,  jade  and  rock-crystal,  for  instance, 
in  juxtaposition,  to  obtain  the  charm  and  beauty  of 
reflected  lights  held  by  the  projections  and  curves  and 
fairly  bathing  the  objects  in  luminosity,  so  that  they 
almost  seem  endowed  with  life.  As  Roger  Marx  said, 
speaking  of  Henri  Guerard,  he  "  modified  his  method 
according  to  the  object,  evoking  the  very  quality  of 
the  material,  the  accidental  effects  of  the  surface  under 
the  caress  of  enveloping  light." 

Many  other  artists  were  more  or  less  prominently 
identified  with  this  revival,  and  there  is  a  wide  variety 
of  styles  and  subjects  to  choose  from.  There  is  the 
graceful  and  facile  Lalanne,  with  a  workmanlike  sure 
touch ;  Appian,  ChifBart ;  Jongkind,  whose  memoranda 
of  impressions  illustrate  the  extreme  of  simple  line- 
work  (and  whose  style  is  further  accentuated  in  some 
blotchy  water-color  sketches  accompanying  the  collec- 
tion of  his  etchings  in  the  New  York  Public  Library)  ; 
Desboutin,  who  did  many  portraits  of  French  literary 
and  artistic  celebrites  in  dry-point;  Rochebrune  and 
Brunet-Debaines,  who  have  held  for  us  various  archi- 
tectural beauties  of  France;  Felix  Buhot,  dashing,  re- 


""— -  -  \     Jf- 

*s» 


MOTHER  AND  BABY. 

Dry-point  by  Mary   Cassatt. 


ETCHING  35 

sourceful,  seeking  the  aid  of  aquatint,  roulette  and 
other  methods  to  attain  stunning  effects.  And  there 
are  still  more  recent  artists :  Helleu,  for  example, 
whose  dry-points  are  delightful  presentations  of  fem- 
inine elegance  and  piquancy  by  a  nature  keenly  alive 
to  the  quickly  changing  grace  of  pose  or  charm  of 
expression;  the  Americans  Aid,  Webster,  and  Mac- 
Laughlan;  and  our  countrywoman,  Mary  Cassatt, 
whose  dry-points  show  a  remarkable  insight  into 
woman  and  child  nature.  To  those  surfeited  with  the 
sweet  prettiness  that  pervades  so  many  "  mother  and 
child  "  pictures,  the  uncompromising  vigor  of  these 
etchings  by  Miss  Cassatt  may  appear  strange  at  first, 
but  the  absolute  truthfulness  of  these  plain  women  and 
ordinary  little  ones,  and  the  beautiful  expression  of 
relationship  under  this  homely  exterior,  is  bound  to 
make  its  appeal  successfully  to  their  sympathies. 

Philip  Gilbert  Hamerton's  "  Etching  and  Etchers  " 
is  an  excellent  guide  for  those  who  wish  a  sane  survey 
of  the  whole  field,  even  if  they  do  not  ultimately  agree 
with  him  in  all  of  his  conclusions.  Criticism,  read  in  the 
proper  spirit,  should  whet  the  insight  of  the  reader.1 
Another  interesting  and  useful  work  is  S.  R.  Koehler's 
"  Etching:  an  Outline  of  Its  Technical  Processes  and 
Its  History"  (1885).  There  are  very  many  mono- 
graphs on  individual  artists,  both  old  and  modern, 
invaluable  for  reference.  In  recent  years,  the  practice 
has  arisen  of  issuing  such  catalogues  of  an  etcher's 
plates  with  photographic  reproductions  of  each  print, 
sometimes  even  of  different  states.  Rovinski's  large 
work  on  Rembrandt's  etchings  is  an  example  of  this, 
as  are  also  Moreau-Nelaton's  book  on  Manet,  the 

1  See  also   Frederick  Wedmore's   "  Etchings  "    (1912). 


36         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

series  on  Meryon  and  others  which  Loys  Delteil  is 
bringing  out,  and  E.  G.  Kennedy's  Whistler  catalogue 
issued  by  the  Grolier  Club  of  New  York.1 

In  reproductive  work — work,  that  is,  which  repro- 
duces in  black-and-white  the  painting  or  sculpture  or 
other  art-production  of  another  artist — the  personality 
evidenced  is  of  course  mainly  that  of  the  artist  whose 
work  is  reproduced.  The  etcher  here  shows  his  mas- 
tery in  his  command  of  the  medium  and  in  his  sym- 
pathetic understanding  of  the  original  which  he  copies, 
making  of  his  etching  not  merely  a  word-for-word 
translation,  so  to  speak,  but  an  interpretation  which 
may  be  replete  with  appreciative  suggestion.  In 
method,  the  reproductive  etching,  with  the  consid- 
erable degree  of  finish  which  it  demands,  exemplifies 
still  farther  the  pliability  of  the  art.  We  are  not 
infrequently  told  that  this  lies  beyond  the  pale  of  etch- 
ing proper,  and  the  point  is  made  that  photography  is 
a  better  method  of  reproduction. 

"  Etching  when  used  for  reproduction,"  says  C.  J. 
Holmes,  "  almost  always  has  to  effect  its  purpose  by 
tones  and  not  by  lines,  and  in  sacrificing  quality  of  line 
it  sacrifices  (as  we  see  even  in  the  cleverest  modern 
work)  its  peculiar  force  and  vivacity." 

It  may  be  conceded  that  the  original  etching  offers 
a  purer  and  higher  form  of  artistic  enjoyment.  But 
when  all  has  been  said,  one  may  derive  much  pleasure 
from  contemplation  of  the  best,  most  serious  work 
in  this  field  of  reproductive  art.  W.  Unger,  Charles 
Waltner,  Koepping,  Theophile  Chauvel,  Leopold  Fla- 
meng,  Bracquemond,  Le  Rat;  Paul  Rajon,  from 
whose  hand  we  have  portraits  of  Tennyson,  Mrs. 

1 H.  N.  Harrington's  "  The  Engraved  Work  of  Sir  Francis  Seymour 
Haden  "  (1910)  is  another  one  of  this  class  of  illustrated  catalogues, 
increasing  in  number. 


ETCHING  37 

Grover  Cleveland  and  the  beautiful  one  of  Susanna 
Rose,  are  among  those  who  have  proven  themselves 
sympathetic  translators  of  paintings  into  black  and 
white. 

A  particularly  fine  collection  of  nineteenth-century 
French  etchings  may  be  seen  in  the  Print  Room  of 
the  New  York  Public  Library, — a  remarkable  collec- 
tion indeed,  for  the  donor  whose  name  it  bears,  the 
late  Samuel  P.  Avery,  possessed  the  collector's  instinct 
in  a  highly  developed  form ;  so  much  so  that,  in  various 
individual  cases,  a  much  more  complete  showing  of  the 
artist's  works  may  be  studied  here  than  in  Paris.  He 
also  knew  where  to  avoid  unnecessary  completeness, 
for  there  are  many  artists  of  whose  work  even  a  large 
collection  need  not  necessarily  have  more  than  a  few 
examples  to  illustrate  their  style. 

Pleasure  may  be  derived  from  lesser  work  also, 
but  in  our  present  survey  we  can  best  illustrate  the 
principles  that  form  the  basis  of  appreciation  by  ref- 
erence to  the  most  significant  expression  of  the  same. 
And  that  we  find,  naturally,  in  the  work  of  the  greater 
men,  those  who  by  their  originality,  impressive  per- 
sonality and  mastery  of  technique  have  left  their  in- 
delible mark  on  the  record  of  achievement  in  etching. 

Such  was  Meryon,  that  strange,  erratic  genius,  who 
in  a  series  of  beautiful  plates  gave  voice  to  the  poetry 
of  the  Paris  that  has  been  since  demolished.  His  work 
is  a  weird,  powerful  embodiment  of  the  spirit  of  old 
Paris.  "  M.  Meryon,"  said  Burty,  "  preserves  the 
characteristic  detail  of  the  architecture.  .  .  .  Without 
modifying  the  aspect  of  the  monument,  he  causes  it 
to  express  its  hidden  meaning,  and  gives  it  a  broader 


o 


38  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

significance  by  associating  it  with  his  own  thought. 
Hence  the  twofold  power  of  his  work."  A  life  of 
discouragement  and  disappointment  ended  in  a  luna- 
tic's grave.  Poor  Meryon  has  "  arrived," — posthu- 
mously; his  fame  is  assured,  now  that  he  is  no  longer 
with  us.  In  a  moment  of  despair  he  destroyed  some 
of  his  finest  plates;  to-day,  high  prices  are  paid  for 
impressions  of  the  "  Abside  de  Notre  Dame,"  for 
which  he  was  glad  to  get  a  f  ranc-and-a-half ! 

It  was  in  Paris  that  Whistler  etched  some  of  his 
earliest  work,  and  some  of  his  best.  Later,  in  "  Pas- 
sages from  Modern  English  Poets"  (1862),  one  of 
the  volumes  issued  by  the  Junior  Etching  Club  in 
London,  there  appeared  an  etching  by  him,  "  The 
Angler."  It  was  not  very  characteristic,  not  calcu- 
lated to  set  the  Thames  on  fire.  But  even  if  it  had 
been,  it  may  be  questioned  whether  the  fact  would 
have  been  realized  then.  For  the  world  was  hardly 
ready  for  Whistler  when  he  first  burst  upon  its  vision. 
Recognition  came  in  time  and  came  fully,  and  it  was 
won  by  sheer  originality. 

Whistler  was  practically  himself  from  the  first. 
There  was  development,  of  course.  But  his  emancipa- 
tion was  quickly  complete,  and  his  point  of  view  al- 
ways intensely  personal  and  alert.  As  Wedmore 
aptly  stated  in  1896:  "Now,  Whistler's  newest  work 
— his  work  of  this  morning,  be  it  etching  or  litho- 
graph— possesses  the  interest  of  freshness,  of  vivacity, 
of  a  new  and  beautiful  impression  of  the  world,  con- 
veyed in  individual  ways,  just  as  much  as  did  his 
early  work  of  nearly  forty  years  ago."  There  was 
no  waning  of  power;  Whistler  did  not  outlive  his 


J3    Q 

5  . s 

PH  8)^ 

w  t  -s* 

O  £   wiS 

H  ^     ut^ 

^  *—  **? 


w  5 


W  -     fc" 

0  'I  If 

Q  UJ         O 

PQ  &£ 


ETCHING  39 

reputation,  did  not  fall  into  the  not  uncommon  self- 
sufficiency  which  advancing  years  may  bring,  with  its 
repetitions  of  points  made  in  former  years.  But 
concurrence  in  this  view  does  not  prevent  more  than 
one  from  showing  decided  preference  for  the  earlier 
work  of  Whistler,  the  Thames  and  French  sets,  and 
the  "  Twelve  "  and  "  Twenty-six  "  Etchings  of  Venice, 
or  from  eliminating  some  of  the  later  plates  as  all  too 
slight  in  achievement,  too  sketchily  indicative  to  merit 
the  high  praise  accorded  to  his  best  work. 

However,  these  considerations  do  not'  affect  his 
standing  as  an  etcher,  and  are,  after  all,  a  matter  of 
taste.  His  work  is  the  very  embodiment  of  modern 
etching. 

In  his  attitude"  and  his  expression  of  intent  and 
opinion,  Whistler  was  original  from  the  beginning, 
from  the  time  when,  instead  of  completing  a  chart 
intended  for  the  United  States  Coast  Survey,  he  en- 
graved on  it  sundry  heads  and  other  sketches  for  his 
own  delectation.  When  the  plate  was  confiscated,  and 
he  was  told  that  an  unwarrantable  thing  had  been 
done,  he  agreed,  said  it  was  certainly  unwarranted 
to  remove  a  plate  from  the  author's  hands  "  before  he 
had  completed  his  pleasure  upon  it." 

He  was  a  law  unto  himself.  The  sureness  of  vision, 
dexterity  of  hand  and  sense  of  adjustment  with  which 
he  used  the  proper  means  to  produce  his  effects  are 
his  chief  characteristics.  His  art  is  pre-eminently  one 
of  selection.  What  he  leaves  out  is  almost  as  im- 
portant as  what  he  puts  in.  He  shows  as  much  art 
in  avoiding  certain  details  as  in  including  others.  His 
art  is  therefore  one  of  suggestion. 


40  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

"  In  art,"  he  wrote,  "  it  is  criminal  to  go  beyond  the 
means  used  in  its  exercise."  To  exquisite' execution  he 
added  remarkable  arrangement  of  line.  He  had  an 
unfailing  judgment,  an  unerring  eye  for  the  proper 
placing  of  the  lines  of  a  design.  Even  his  famous 
"  butterfly  "  monograph  was  not  put  into  one  of  the 
lower  corners,  as  signatures  usually  are,  but  was  set 
down  in  a  different  place  each  time,  wherever  in  his 
opinion  it  was  needed  to  make  its  emphasis  as  part 
of  the  whole  design.  One  feels  that  here,  as  elsewhere 
perhaps,  his  artistic  instinct  and  his  personal  pose 
coincided. 

His  many  views  of  Venice  well  illustrate  his  atti- 
tude, the  predominance  of  the  artistic  interest  ex- 
pressed with  an  intensely  personal  note.  He  saw 
Venice  for  himself  and  so  recorded  it,  neither  his- 
torically nor  architecturally,  not  from  the  standpoint 
of  the  guide-book  nor  of  the  historian  of  art,  but  as 
a  personal  impression.  To  him  the  shadowed  arch- 
way, the  picturesque  bit  of  canal,  the  ornamental  detail 
of  architectural  effect  were  as  interesting  as  the 
Basilica  di  San  Marco  or  the  Doge's  Palace.  He 
needed  no  processions  of  state,  no  magnificent  para- 
phernalia of  civil  or  ecclesiastical  pomp  to  lend  dis- 
tinction to  his  etchings.  The  story-telling  interest  is 
entirely  absent. 

A  respectable  number  of  books  and  a  very  large 
number  of  magazine  articles  devoted  to  this  most 
able  artist  and  clever  and  eccentric  man  have  been 
published.  Mortimer  Menpes  has  written  personal 
reminiscences  of  Whistler.  So  have  the  Pennells 
and  Otto  H.  Bacher.  Reflective  analysis  of  his 


8*4 

•-J     s  5 

)— 4         G      W 

s  I* 


ETCHING  41 

etchings  may  be  pursued  under  the  guidance  of 
Theodore  Duret,  or  Elisabeth  Luther  Gary,  who 
have  both  written  well-illustrated  volumes  on  his 
art.1 

If  we  claim  Whistler,  though  expatriated,  by  virtue 
of  his  American  birth,  England,  where  he  lived  for 
many  years,  has  her  own  native-born  Haden,  whose 
name  is  one  of  the  most  noted  in  the  annals  of  etch- 
ing. An  amateur,  if  you  wish — for  his  profession  is 
surgery — Sir  Seymour  Haden,  the  honored  president 
of  the  Royal  Society  of  Painter-Etchers,  produced 
a  considerable  number  of  plates  which  combine  breadth 
and  vigor  with  an  "  artistic  sympathy  with  pure  and 
ordinary  nature,"  as  one  critic  puts  it.  Plates  such  as 
the  "  Windmill  Hill,"  "  Nine  Barrow  Down,"  "  Ware- 
ham  Bridge,"  "Little  Boathouse,"  "  Egham  Lock" 
(with  its  fine  rendering  of  still  water),  "  Mytton 
Hall,"  "  River  in  Ireland,"  "  Lancashire  River  "  and 
the  famous  "  Shere  Mill  Pond  "  have  placed  him  in  the 
first  rank  of  landscape  etchers  of  all  times.  The  last- 
named  etching,  in  the  opinion  of  one  critic,  is,  "  with 
the  single  exception  of  one  plate  by  Claude,  the  finest 
etching  of  a  landscape  subject  that  has  ever  been 
executed  in  the  world." 

Entirely  different  in  style  and  subject  is  the  work 
of  Alphonse  Legros,  a  Frenchman  who  has  lived  in 
London  for  many  years.  In  portraits  such  as  those 
of  G.  F.  Watts  and  Manning,  and  plates  of  a  power- 
ful seriousness  and  human  sympathy  such  as  the 
"  Death  of  the  Old  Vagabond  "  or  the  series  "  Bon- 
homme  Misere,"  or  in  silvery  brookside  effects  of  early 
spring  morning,  he  has  shown  seriousness  and  dig- 

1  Excellent  catalogues  of  Whistler's  etched  work  have  been  prepared  by 
Howard  Mansfield  for  the  Caxton  Club,  Chicago  (1909),  and  by  E.  G. 
Kennedy  for  the  Grolier  Qub. 


42         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

nity,  refinement  and  strength,  and  yet  an  absolute 
originality. 

There  are  points  of  affinity  between  Legros  and 
his  pupils  William  Strang  and  Charles  Holroyd,  also 
men  of  strongly  pronounced  and  stern  style.  Again 
I  am  tempted  to  cite  names,  but  I  shall  limit  myself 
to  a  few:  Menpes,  C.  J.  Watson,  Slocombe,  Colonel 
Goff,  Herkomer  and  Joseph  Pennell,  originally  of 
Philadelphia,  that  remarkably  prolific  and  masterly 
delineator  of  city  scenes.  His  is  an  art  of  resourceful 
variety,  of  simplicity  of  treatment,  of  directness  of 
manner  and  of  what  has  been  well  called  a  "  wise  reti- 
cence in  line."  There  is  Frank  Brangwyn,  too,  with 
his  large,  decorative  plates.  And  D.  Y.  Cameron,  "  a 
passionate  connoisseur  of  the  picturesque,"  whose 
"  richness  of  tone  in  the  treatment  of  architecture," 
says  Hind,  "  is  the  achievement  of  great  power  and 
individuality."  The  strong  yet  unobtrusive  individual 
note  of  Muirhead  Bone  is  expressed  largely  in  dry- 
point.  James  McBey  should  also  be  noted. 

There  is  much  young  blood  here,  modern  in  view- 
point and  style.  A  contrast  to  the  earlier  days,  when 
Samuel  Palmer  expressed  the  quiet  moods  of  English 
landscape  in  sympathetic  and  well-finished  plates,  but 
not  so  very  different,  in  spirit,  from  the  twenty  or 
thirty  etchings  produced  by  that  excellent  draughts- 
man Charles  Keene,  of  Punch. 

This  suggestion  of  comic  art,  by  the  way,  recalls 
the  fact  that  etching  was  at  one  time  used  for  book 
illustration,  particularly  in  England,  and  again  par- 
ticularly by  Leech,  George  Cruikshank  and  other 
comic  artists.  Of  Cruikshank,  Hamerton  wrote: 


u 

08 

I 


I 

2     1 


w 

O  ^ 

2  •« 

u  t- 

«  8 


ETCHING  43 

"  Only  those  who  know  the  difficulties  of  etching 
can  appreciate  the  power  that  lies  behind  his  unpre- 
tending skill;  there  is  never,  in  his  most  admirable 
plates,  the  trace  of  a  vain  effort." 

Pennell,  like  Whistler,  connects  with  our  own  land. 
Among  American  etchers  the  influence  of  Whistler  is 
strongly  evident,  even  in  the  case  of  those  who  later 
on  emancipated  themselves  almost  entirely.  Frank 
Duveneck  and  Otto  H.  Bacher,  who  were  with  Whist- 
ler in  Venice,  come  readily  to  mind  here.  They  are 
two  noteworthy  figures  among  the  older  men.  The 
list  of  American  painter-etchers  of  decided  ability  is 
a  long  one.  Praise  may  safely  be  applied  in  the  com- 
parative spirit,  and  not  on  patriotic  grounds  only,  for 
the  best  of  them  may  confidently  measure  their  steel 
with  those  of  other  lands.  Stephen  Parrish,  Charles 
A.  Platt,  with  sure  method  of  expression,  delicate  sug- 
gestiveness  and  judicious  economy  of  line ;  Mrs.  Mary 
Nimmo  Moran,  emphatic  and  bold;  Thomas  Moran, 
Peter  Moran,  C.  A.  Vanderhoof,  W.  L.  Lathrop, 
Kruseman  van  Elten,  Samuel  Colman,  J.  C.  Nicoll, 
J.  H.  Hill,  J.  A.  S.  Monks,  C.  H.  Miller,  whose 
method  is  sketchy,  and  many  others  responded  with  a 
distinguished  understanding  of  principles,  and  con- 
trol in  practice,  to  the  impulse  for  painter-etching 
which  for  a  comparatively  short  time  was  strongly  felt 
in  this  country,  and  which  found  expression  in 
the  organization  of  the  New  York  Etching  Club  in 
1877.  On  the  latter  occasion,  three  men  united  to 
produce  a  little  plate  (the  original  copper  of  which 
still  exists)  for  the  instruction  of  their  fellow-artists — 
J.  D.  Smillie,  a  veteran  profoundly  versed  in  the  tech- 


44  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

nique  of  the  art;  Dr.  Leroy  M.  Yale,  a  physician,  the 
best  of  whose  serious  work  had  the  qualities  demanded 
of  painter-etching,  including  a  proper  sense  of  both 
the  possibilities  and  limitations  of  the  etching  needle; 
and  R.  Swain  Gifford,  the  landscape  painter. 

Various  painters,  like  the  last  named,  sought  ex- 
pression, with  more  or  less  success,  in  etching,  some 
with  very  decided  originality.  Robert  Blum  produced 
some  twenty  plates  of  characteristic  force  and  snap, 
and  J.  Alden  Weir  evidenced  his  experimental  and 
investigating  trend  in  a  series  of  interesting  im- 
pressions of  landscape. 

The  story  of  this  movement  is  well  told  in  Ripley 
Hitchcock's  little  book  on  "  Etching  in  America,"  and 
in  the  larger  volume  by  the  late  S.  R.  Koehler,  who  in 
his  short-lived  but  well-edited  American  Art  Review 
(1880-82)  worked  so  faithfully  and  well  for  the  fur- 
therance of  this  fascinating  art  in  the  United  States. 

For  some  time  one  heard  little  here  of  original 
etching,  crowded  out,  as  it  appeared,  by  the  repro- 
ductive branch  of  the  art.  Recently,  however,  there 
has  begun  a  revival  of  interest.  A  "  Chicago  Society 
of  Etchers  "  and  a  "  New  York  Society  of  Etchers  " 
have  been  formed,  young  men  are  taking  up  the 
art  with  enthusiasm,  and  J.  D.  Smillie,  C.  F.  W.  Mie- 
latz,  George  Senseney  and  Charles  Henry  White  have 
in  recent  years  been  teaching  the  technical  process  at 
the  League  and  the  Academy  in  New  York  City. 

If  I  mention  E.  L.  Warner,  C.  Washburn,  A.  T. 
Millar,  J.  Sloan,  O.  J.  Schneider,  White,  H.  H.  Osgood, 
L.  G.  Hornby  and  A.  Worcester,  among  the  younger 
men,  it  is  with  no  desire  to  make  selection  or  institute 


ETCHING  45 

comparisons,1  but  solely  to  indicate  that  these  and 
other  Americans  are  proving  the  possibilities  of  etch- 
ing. One  need  not  always  roam  in  foreign  fields  to 
find  art  worth  appreciating. 

This  movement  in  favor  of  original  etching  is  felt 
in  all  civilized  countries,  it  appears.  In  Germany, 
Neureuther,  Gauermann,  Morgenstern  and  others  in 
the  earlier  years  of  the  nineteenth  century  had  etched 
plates,  at  times  with  something  of  a  literary  flavor, 
and  with  an  infusion,  perhaps,  of  the  longing  for 
national  expression.  Somewhat  later,  Menzel,  who 
used  every  medium  that  he  tried  with  quick  compre- 
hension of  its  technical  resources,  showed  in  his  etch- 
ings the  same  insight  into  the  nature  of  the  medium, 
the  same  practical  skill  in  its  manipulation.  But  they 
illustrate  mainly  an  adaptation  of  known  expedients 
to  his  style. 

It  is  young  Germany  which  is  giving  potent  ex- 
pression to  its  aspirations  in  etching  as  in  other  forms 
of  art.  A  considerable  number  of  German  artists  are 
to-day  giving  utterance  to  modern  ideals  through  the 
agency  of  the  etching  needle,  some  occasionally,  others 
habitually.  Men  such  as  Orlik  or  Emil  Nolde  seize 
upon  various  processes,  lithography,  etching,  wood 
engraving,  in  turn,  to  find  an  outlet  for  their  extremely 
personal  view  of  things.  In  these  days  of  revolts, 
"  secessions "  and  splitting  up  into  special  small 
groups,  this  productiveness  will  naturally  not  be  free 
from  aberrations  and  vagaries.  The  anxious  desire 
to  avoid  the  commonplace  and  conventional  will  al- 
ways cause  some  to  shoot  far  beyond  the  mark.  But 
the  residue  makes  for  advance.  There  come  to  mind 

1  H.  A.  Webster,  G.  C.  Aid,  J.  A.  Smith,  E.  D.  Roth,  and  others  might 
be  added.  A  summary  record  of  American  etching  will  be  found  in  the 
present  writer's  "  American  Graphic  Art  "  (1912). 


46  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

the  weird  fancies  of  Jettmar,  the  delightful  conceits 
of  Heinrich  Vogeler,  the  archaic  effects  of  Hans 
Thoma,  the  delicate  lines  of  the  thoughtful  Max 
Klinger,  the  highly  finished  large  plates  by  Geyger, 
who,  like  Klinger,  has  turned  to  sculpture.  F.  Schmut- 
zer,  Oskar  Graf,  Walter  Leistikow,  Cornelia  Paczka 
are  others  who  have  attacked  the  copper  with  orig- 
inality and  individuality. 

It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  the  work  of  the  best 
quality  among  Germany's  younger  men  is  sane.  De- 
spite the  extreme  diversity  of  style  and  purpose  which 
a  collection  of  these  etchings  discloses,  the  means  used 
are  generally  "  legitimate,"  the  forced  note  is  seldom 
struck.  Occasionally,  it  is  true,  we  find  experiments 
of  questionable  result,  such  as  the  blotchy  skies  af- 
fected by  Overbeck.  But,  as  a  rule,  nothing  more 
startling  occurs  than  Klinger's  use  of  aquatint,  or  the 
plates  executed  entirely  with  the  roulette  by  H.  Wolff, 
who  thus  instances  a  new  possibility  for  an  instrument 
generally  used  as  an  adjunct,  and  with  more  or  less 
mechanical  effect.1  A  feature  of  peculiar  interest  is 
the  increase  of  women  etchers  to  be  taken  seriously, — 
intensely  seriously  in  the  case  of  Frau  Kollwitz,  who 
presents  gloomily  dramatic  scenes  from  the  life  of  the 
poor  and  the  downtrodden,  and  sounds  an  echo  to  the 
note  of  the  dramatist  Gerhardt  Hauptmann  in  her 
"  Weavers." 

A  number  .of  the  artists  are  grouped  about  certain 
centers,  such  as  Worpswede  and  Karlsruhe,  and  there 
are  several  regular  societies  of  etchers,  some  of  which 
issue  portfolios  of  their  members'  work. 

In  Holland,  C.  Storm  van  's  Gravesande,  with  a 

1  More  recently.  Wolff  attempts  almost  too  much,  as  when  he  copies  the  effect 
of  a  rapid  color  sketch. 


ETCHING  47 

noteworthy  power  of  suggesting  water  by  a  few  well- 
chosen  strokes;  M.  Bauer,  the  prolific  Ph.  Zilcken, 
Carel  L.  Dake  and  Witsen,  an  etcher  of  many  re- 
sources and  peculiar  methods,  are  among  those  who 
are  perpetuating  traditional  honors  in  modern  ways. 

Among  Scandinavian  artists  we  have  Zorn,  for  ex- 
ample, an  etcher  of  great  ability  and  strong  tempera- 
ment and  absolutely  unrivaled  in  his  rendering  of  the 
nude.  A.  H.  Haig  is  noted  for  his  skill  in  reproduc- 
ing the  interior  of  cathedrals  with  their  mysterious 
shadows  and  mellow,  subdued  lights. 

Evert  van  Muyden,  of  Swiss  origin,  is  best  known 
by  his  etchings  of  animals.  And  there  is  a  large  por- 
trait of  Franz  Liszt,  by  the  Hungarian  Rippl-Ronai, 
who  has  lately  turned  to  lithography. 

The  field  is  large,  very  large,  and  to-day  there  is, 
particularly  in  France  and  Germany,  a  striving  for 
original  expression  in  color.  There  were  experi- 
menters who  prepared  the  way.  Eugene  Delatre,  a 
master  of  color  printing,  familiar  with  all  details  of 
its  resources,  Henri  Guerard,  Bracquemond,  Raffaelli 
and  Lepere  were  among  the  earlier  ones  to  take  up 
color  etching.  In  recent  years,  at  the  annual  Salons  of 
"  original  engravings  in  colors "  in  Paris,  as  also 
elsewhere,  there  has  been  shown  work  by  Thaulow, 
Charles  Houdard,  Grimelund,  Balestieri,  Allan  Oster- 
lind,  who,  like  G.  de  Latenay  and  various  others, 
uses  aquatint;  Robbe,  Chabanian,  Pichon,  Delpy, 
Edgar  Chahine,  Jacques  Villon,  H.  Jourdain,  Baert- 
soen,  Cottet,  Bejot,  Laffitte,  Ranft,  whose  "  light 
colors  "  and  "  pulsating  tints  "  are  extolled  by  Mourey, 
Truchet,  Steinlen,  Bernard  Boutet  de  Monvel,  who 


48  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

uses  low,  flat  tones,  and  Charles  Maurin,  whose  studies 
of  the  nude  are  "  delicately  tinted  with  soft  grays  and 
pale  pinks."  The  simpler  effects,  on  the  whole,  seem 
most  pleasing;  some  of  these  men  lay  on  the  colors 
in  careful  modeling  until,  as  Henri  Frantz  says,  "  the 
engraving  almost  disappears  under  the  accumulation 
of  colors." 

The  whole  trend  of  the  graphic  arts  in  Germany 
would  naturally  lead  artists  there  also  to  the  applica- 
tion of  color.  Unger  and  others  have  employed  it 
with  more  or  less  completeness  of  effect.  Some  have 
used  but  a  few  broad  tints,  so  L.  Michalik  in  his 
nicely  modulated  snow  scene  by  moonlight.  Others, 
again,  employ  one  color  only,  as  witness  the  bluish 
tint  in  Oskar  Graf's  "  Dachau  by  Moonlight "  (with 
aquatint)  or  a  tinted  paper,  like  the  blue  paper  on 
which  Suppantschitsch's  "  Sacred  Grove  "  is  printed. 
The  color  in  Klinger's  "  Penelope  "  rather  accentuates 
the  sternness,  the  want  of  superficial  grace  in  his  work, 
and  somehow  or  other  does  not  "  sit "  well,  is  not 
convincing. 

Of  Americans  in  Paris,  Mary  Cassatt  has  done  a 
number  of  studies  of  women  with  flat  tints  of  color, 
Japanese  in  feeling  and  arrangement.  In  the  United 
States,  George  Senseney  utilizes  a  combination  of  soft 
ground  etching  and  aquatint  to  give  color  effects  of 
more  completeness  in  gradations. 

Etching  in  colors 1  is  a  somewhat  comprehensive 
term.  There  are  various  ways  of  arriving  at  results. 
An  aquatint  or  other  light  grain  may  be  provided  to 
hold  the  color-ink  (as  in  the  work  of  Cassatt,  Micha- 
lik, Graf),  or  paint  may  be  applied  directly  to  the 

1  For   technique,   see   Hugh   Paton's   "Color   Etching"    (1909). 


ELF  AND  BEAR. 

Etching  by  Max  Klinger. 
One  of  his  series  "  Intermezzi." 

The  flat  tints  are  laid  in  with  aquatint,  and  there  is  rouletting 
on  the  flowers. 


ETCHING  49 

copper.  In  either  case  it  is  not  the  etched  line  only 
which  holds  the  color.  The  printing  may  be  done 
from  several  plates,  one  for  each  color  (as  by  Gue- 
rard,  some  of  whose  progressive  proofs  may  be  studied 
in  New  York;  Jeanniot  or  Houdard),  or  from  one 
plate  (as  by  Ranft  and  Cassatt),  the  inking  in  the 
latter  case  being  done  a  la  poupee,  which  poupee  or 
"  doll  "  is  a  bunch  of  rags.  The  color  may  appear  in 
a  few  touches,  as  when  Raffaelli  used  simple  "  notes  " 
of  color,  or  in  large  flat  surfaces,  or  even  with  some 
gradation  and  completeness  of  effect. 

As  to  the  propriety  of  color  work,  opinions  will 
differ.  Many  will  undoubtedly  prefer  the  simple  dig- 
nity of  black  and  white.  None  of  the  great  masters 
of  the  art,  indeed,  have  called  in  the  aid  of  color. 
But  much  of  the  color-work  of  these  modern  followers 
of  Ploos  van  Amstel,  and  others  of  older  days,  is 
exceedingly  clever,  although  the  desire  for  novelty  in 
these  days  produces  queer  outgrowths.  The  fascina- 
tion of  an  art  such  as  this  may  beget  injudicious  and 
inartistic  use  of  it.  Experiments  in  color-printing 
have  always  proved  interesting,  at  least. 

At  all  events,  it  would  seem  that  here,  too,  the  rule 
would  hold  good  that  applies  to  etching  per  se,  namely, 
that  of  summary  of  impression  rather  than  full  rendi- 
tion. The  color  etching  should  not  vie  with  the 
chromo,  nor  with  the  three-color  reproduction  of  a 
painting,  nor  with  the  colored  picture  postal.  This  is 
felt  in  many  of  these  modern  color-plates,  which  are 
characterized,  on  the  whole,  by  an  avoidance  of  fin- 
ished gradations,  echoing  the  summary  of  the  etched 
line.  So  in  the  work  of  T.  F.  Simon,  for  instance. 


50  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

More  details  concerning  contemporary  etching  are 
given  in  Charles  Holme's  "  Modern  Etching  and  En- 
graving "  (1902),  a  well-illustrated,  concise  review.1 
The  large  volume  on  etching  in  the  series  of  four 
volumes  on  contemporary  graphic  arts,  issued  by  the 
Gesellschaft  fur  vervielfdltigende  Kunst  of  Vienna, 
covers  the  nineteenth  century,  and,  though  in  German, 
is  richly  illustrated  and  therefore  illuminative  even 
pictorially.  The  periodical  Graphische  Kunste,  pub- 
lished by  the  same  society,  is  an  indispensable  and 
valuable  record  of  international  scope,  as  is  also  the 
International  Studio.  French  and  German  etchings 
by  artists  of  the  day  are  published  regularly  in  the 
Revue  de  I' Art  and  the  Zeitschrift  fur  bildende 
Kunst. 

These  are  all  indications.  For  to  attempt  to  do 
more  than  point  out  general  principles,-  as  exemplified 
in  a  few  prominent  cases,  is  folly.  You  cannot  com- 
press a  voluminous  literature  into  one  volume,  other- 
wise bibliographies  and  indexes  to  periodicals  would 
not  be  necessary.  But  enough  has  been  said  to  show 
how  very  wide  the  field  of  etching  is,  how  many 
varieties  and  specialities  of  taste  it  can  satisfy.  With 
the  strongest  men,  the  most  noted  names,  the  ex- 
pression of  individuality  is  so  pronounced,  so  dis- 
tinctive, that  the  suppleness  of  the  medium  is  illus- 
trated in  the  most  forceful  manner.  And  the  sum- 
mariness  of  method,  the  succinctness  of  statement  so 
characteristic  of  many  of  the  best  etchings,  serves 
to  emphasize  all  the  more  strongly  this  suppleness,  this 
wide  possibility  of  variety  inherent  in  the  etching 
needle  and  the  copper  plate.  It  is  the  old  story  of 

1  See  also   C.   Holme's   "  Modern    Etchings.   Mezzotints,   and   Dry-points " 
(1913). 


ETCHING  $  I 

style.    Not  mannerism,  but  style,  the  natural,  inevita- 
ble expression  of  personality. 

It  is  the  privilege  of  all  of  us  to  become  acquainted 
with  any  or  all  of  this  work,  old  and  new.  This  will 
be  accomplished  by  seeing  as  much  of  it  as  possi- 
ble, but  not  too  much  at  a  time,  for  the  wearied  eye 
and  brain  will  not  respond.  The  student  also  should 
follow  up  the  art  news  in  the  daily  papers,  reading 
the  criticisms  in  those  which  give  serious  attention 
to  art,  as  well  as  in  the  art  magazines.  He  should 
visit  all  exhibitions  possible;  they  will  be  found  mostly 
in  art  dealers'  galleries  and  in  private  studios.  If  the 
student  lives  in  a  large  city,  where  a  print-room  is 
established  similar  to  those  in  London,  Paris,  Berlin, 
Dresden,  Amsterdam  or  other  European  cities,  all 
the  better.  Of  American  cities,  Washington,  Boston, 
New  York  and  Philadelphia  have  such  public  collec- 
tions, with  changing  exhibitions  to  attract,  and  with 
print-rooms  in  which  the  portfolios  can  be  looked 
through  at  pleasure.  In  a  city  like  New  York  there 
is  no  elevating  pleasure  to  be  had  as  cheaply  as  the 
enjoyment  of  good  art.  With  few  exceptions,  art 
exhibitions  are  absolutely  free. 

The  effort  to  see  as  much  as  possible,  understand- 
ingly,  may  in  time  lead  to  fuller  reading  on  the  sub- 
ject as  a  whole,  or  on  some  particular  part  of  it. 
For,  while  keeping  mind  and  eye  open  and  receptive 
for  beauty  in  any  form,  one  will  naturally,  in  time, 
come  to  a  selection  of  preferences,  of  a  nationality, 
or  school,  or  individuality  which  particularly  appeals 
to  one's  nature.  And  if  the  print-lover  drifts  into 
by-paths,  if  he  leaves  the  beaten  track  in  developing 


52 

the  scent  of  the  collector,  and  finds  out  for  himself 
some  delightful  and  little  known  old  etcher,  or 
lights  on  beauties  in  work  not  yet  fully  appreciated, 
perhaps  some  German  or  American  work  of  to-day, 
the  keen  joy  of  discovery,  the  pleasure  of  the  "  find,' 
is  his. 


CHAPTER  III 
LINE  ENGRAVING 

To  a  great  many  persons,  line  engraving  is  synony- 
mous with  steel  engraving.  Or  rather,  they  know  line 
engravings  only  as  steel  engravings.  Hence  the  let- 
ters that  reach  those  in  charge  of  print-rooms,  ask- 
ing the  value  of  "  a  fine,  old  steel  engraving  nearly 
one  hundred  and  fifty  years  old."  If  such  a  thing 
existed  it  would"  be  unique  and  valuable  indeed,  for 
steel  plates  were  first  used  in  engraving  about  1820, 
while  previous  to  that  time  the  engravings  were  exe- 
cuted on  copper.  And  later,  too,  sometimes  the  work 
was  done  on  a  copper  plate  which  was  then  steel- faced 
for  printing.  Even  when  the  engraver  works  directly 
on  the  steel  it  may  be  softened  so  that  the  tools  attack 
it  more  easily.  It  then  can  be  hardened  for  printing. 

The  reason  for  the  misapplication  of  the  term 
"  steel  engraving  "  is  no  doubt  to  be  sought  in  the 
vogue  which  this  form  of  art  enjoyed  during  a  period 
extending,  roughly,  from  1830  to  1870.  For  many 
years  the  steel  engraving  seems  to  have  held  pre- 
eminence in  public  estimation  as  a  sort  of  supreme 
expression  of  art  for  the  home.  It  was  disseminated 
in  various  ways,  even  as  premiums  for  art  and  other 
magazines.  In  very  many  homes  to-day  you  will 
still  find  some  large  steel  engraving  (say,  of  Land- 

53 


54  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

seer's  "  Shepherd's  Chief  Mourner  "  or  "  Dignity  and 
Impudence,"  West's  "  Battle  of  La  Hogue,"  Wilkie's 
"  Guess  My  Name  "  or  "  The  Pedlar  ")  as  the  chief 
ornament  on  the  parlor  wall.  These  engravings  are 
usually  executed  with  a  considerable  degree  of  tech- 
nical ability,  and  show  a  cleanness  of  line,  a  precision 
of  statement  and  an  attention  to  detail  which,  com- 
bined, appeal  strongly  to  the  average  beholder.  Hence, 
no  doubt,  their  popularity. 

Line  engraving  is,  as  its  very  name  implies,  essen- 
tially an  art  of  the  line.  Whatever  it  depicts,  shadow, 
tone  and  texture,  must  be  rendered  in  line.  And  the 
line  is  always  a  call  on  our  imagination  to  accept  a 
symbol.  A  symbol  to  which,  indeed,  we  have  become 
so  accustomed  that  the  schoolboy  unhesitatingly  ac- 
cepts and  understands  the  outline  drawing  on  the 
blackboard,  although  there  are  no  outlines  in  nature. 
The  line  is  a  generally  accepted  compromise,  a  short 
cut,  so  to  speak,  which  in  the  slightest  sketch  may 
speak  volumes.  In  the  line  engraving  it  must  render 
tones  and  yet  retain  its  own  individuality. 

The  principal  tool  in  line  engraving  is  the  burin  or 
graver,  a  four-sided  piece  of  steel,  square  or  rhom- 
boidal  in  section,  and  cut  off  obliquely  at  one  end, 
producing  a  sharp  point.  The  other  end  of  this  little 
bar  of  steel  is  fastened  in  a  wooden  handle.  While 
engraving,  this  handle  rests  against  the  palm  of  the 
hand,  with  the  fingers  on  the  steel  bar,  and  the  graver 
is  pushed  forward  over  and  into  the  metal.  As  the 
steel  plows  along,  cutting  a  furrow  in  the  plate,  it 
throws  up  a  ridge  of  metal  on  the  side;  this  is  re- 
moved with  the  scraper,  a  steel  instrument  resembling  a 


LINE  ENGRAVING  55 

dagger  in  shape.  The  places  scraped  are  then  smoothed 
by  going  over  them  with  the  burnisher,  similar  in 
shape  to  the  scraper,  but  blunt  and  highly  polished, 
looking  something  like  a  narrow,  pointed  metal  paper- 
knife. 

The  very  nature  of  this  process  produces  an  inevita- 
ble formality  in  line  engraving.  It  cannot  have  the 
freedom  of  etching  or  dry-point,  although  those  two 
processes  have  not  infrequently  been  called  in  to 
add  their  qualities  to  those  peculiar  to  line  engraving. 

It  is  this  precision  of  statement,  this  beauty  of  line, 
which  forms  the  distinctive  quality  of  line  engraving, 
and  makes  it  what  it  is,  and  nothing  else.  It  is 
restricted  by  the  manner  of  its  execution,  and  its  char- 
acteristics are  so  obvious  that  there  is  no  very  great 
temptation  to  twist  it  into  manners  of  expression  for 
which  it  is  unsuited.  And  yet  its  practice  has  offered 
such  widely  varying  possibilities  of  style  as  are  shown 
in  the  classic  severity  of  Mantegna,  the  simple  dig- 
nity of  Marc  Antonio,  the  conscientious  finish  of 
Diirer,  the  brilliant  effects  of  the  French  portraitists 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  the  cold  carefulness  of 
Wille  of  the  eighteenth,  the  tones  which  Gaillard  in 
the  nineteenth  produced  with  short,  microscopically 
fine  lines  placed  close  together. 

In  the  earlier  days  of  the  art,  it  was  often  a  means 
of  original  expression.  Mantegna,  Diirer,  the  Behams, 
engraved  their  conceptions  directly  on  the  copper. 
Later,  also,  we  find  Nanteuil  engraving  after  his  own 
designs.  But,  on  the  whole,  engraving  on  copper  soon 
found  its  field  in  reproduction,  for  which  it  is  on  the 
whole  best  suited. 


56  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

In  modern  days  it  has  seldom  been  used  as  an 
autographic  art,  although  the  burin  has  been  em- 
ployed by  some  French  etchers  to  strengthen  certain 
lines  on  their  plates,  just  as  the  line  engravers  have 
made  a  frequent  practice  of  etching  the  principal  lines 
and  a  basis  of  tones  of  their  engraving  before  deepen- 
ing them  with  the  burin,  as  well  as  of  adding  a  cer- 
tain freedom  of  effect  by  purely  etched  lines.  Orig- 
inal line  engraving  is  a  rarity  now,  seen  in  isolated 
cases,  such  as  that  of  the  experimentally  interesting 
"  Arcturus  "  cut  by  J.  Alden  Weir,  or  in  book-plates 
engraved  by  the  designers  themselves,  C.  W.  Sher- 
born,  E.  D.  French  and  others.  Karl  Stauffer-Bern 
used  the  graver  in  original  work,  cutting  shallow  lines, 
with  little  pressure,  so  that  he  could  guide  the  tool 
with  some  of  the  freedom  of  the  etching  needle,  vary- 
ing the  direction  of  his  lines  instead  of  arranging 
them  on  the  set  principles  of  line  engraving.  Her- 
komer  pronounces  his  own  portrait  of  Wagner  a  tour 
de  force  with  the  burin. 

In  contradistinction  to  wood  engraving,  which  is  a 
relief  process,  line  engraving  is  an  intaglio  process. 
That  is,  a  process  of  "  cutting  in,"  the  lines  all  being 
cut  into  the  copper  and  thus  lying  below  the  surface 
of  the  same,  instead  of  forming  ridges  on  the  top 
after  the  surrounding  material  has  been  cut  away,  as 
in  wood  engraving.  The  process  of  printing,  there- 
fore, differs  also.  When  the  wood  block  is  rolled 
up  with  ink,  the  latter  is  caught  by  the  projecting 
lines  which,  in  the  press,  leave  their  impress  on  the 
paper.  But  here,  the  ink  is  spread  over  the  engraved 
copper-plate,  and  then  wiped  off  again,  so  that  only 


LINE  ENGRAVING  57 

the  ink  remains  which  has  lodged  in  the  incised 
lines. 

To  print  from  an  intaglio  plate,  therefore,  means 
to  subject  it  to  such  pressure  that  the  paper  will  be 
so  forced  onto — even  into — the  lines  that  it  absorbs 
the  ink. 

The  manner  of  holding  the  graver  inevitably 
produces  formal  lines.  And  these  lines  in  time  came 
to  be  applied  in  a  complicated  system.  Lines  crossing 
each  other  at  varying  angles,  lines  in  varying  curves, 
broken  curves,  lines  broken  or  dotted,  short  lines  not 
parallel,  heavy  lines  and  fine  ones.  It  was  a  natural 
tendency  to  drop  into  the  use  of  lines  of  a  certain 
thickness,  or  angle,  or  curve,  or  length,  to  represent 
certain  textures.  The  use,  for  example,  of  transverse, 
very  short  lines  to  represent  flesh,  or  of  broken,  wavy 
lines  to  represent  foreground  sod,  or  of  lines  cut  by 
the  ruling  machine  to  indicate  sky.  Rough  garments 
and  smooth  ones,  the  bare  skin,  the  fur  of  animals, 
the  feathers  of  birds,  water,  foliage,  flowers,  grass, 
the  many  objects  widely  differing  in  texture  with 
which  the  engraver  has  to  deal,  are  represented  by 
means  such  as  those  indicated.  It  is  the  indi- 
vidual power  of  the  engraver  which  uses  the  latter 
either  with  the  conventional  application  of  certain 
formulae,  or  with  the  utmost  freedom  of  expres- 
sion of  which  the  not  easily  yielding  medium  is 
capable. 

In  the  works  of  the  greatest  masters  of  the  art 
technical  details  are  lost  sight  of,  more  or  less,  in  the 
virtuosity  with  which  the  graver  is  handled  to  produce 
the  desired  effect.  Technique  with  them  has  not  be- 


58  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

come  the  all  in  all,  nor  is  it  used  in  absolute  devotion 
to  a  fashion  set  by  some  predecessor. 

The  dissimilarity  in  the  productions  of  different 
men  in  different  countries  at  different  epochs  is  not 
only  one  of  the  expression  of  nationality  or  of  the 
prevalent  artistic  feeling  of  a  period  (which  is  shown 
notably  in  the  artist's  attitude  toward  his  subject,  and 
his  choice  and  treatment  of  the  same),  but  it  is  also 
one  of  style,  of  that  style  which  is  the  result  of  the 
peculiar  employment  of  the  medium  in  each  case. 

In  the  works  of  the  earlier  men  there  are  certain 
characteristics  in  handling  quite  different  from  the 
decided  but  not  infrequently  mannered  dexterity 
which  marks  the  engraving  of  later  times.  Compari- 
son of  an  engraving  by  Mantegna  (1431-1506),  with 
its  straight,  parallel  lines,  without  the  niceties  of  mod- 
ern workmanship,  with  the  elaborate  finish  of  the 
vignette  on  a  piece  of  paper  money,  will  show  what  is 
meant.  In  the  one  case,  an  artist  of  classic  feeling,  of 
large  ideas,  with  something  to  say,  saying  it  in  vigor- 
ous terms,  impatient  almost,  one  might  think,  of  the 
material  offering  difficulties  to  his  hands,  but  saying 
it  in  unmistakably  fine  language,  nevertheless;  on  the 
other  hand,  the  work  of  a  man  who  knows  his  craft, 
who  lays  his  lines  and  draws  his  curves  with  precision 
and  skill,  producing  a  picture  that  fills  its  part,  and 
as  an  engraving  is  neither  an  offense  to  the  eye  nor 
a  stimulus  to  the  imagination. 

While  this  difference  between  the  oldest  engraving 
and  the  newest  is  thus  sometimes  wholly  or  partly 
a  matter  of  individual  treatment,  it  may  also  often 
indicate  simply  the  early  struggles  to  conquer  a  not 


LINE  ENGRAVING  59 

yet  familiar  medium.  This  evidence  of  testing,  of 
feeling  one's  way,  is  felt  in  some  of  the  Italian  en- 
gravings of  the  late  fifteenth  century  or  the  plates 
of  some  of  the  old  German  masters,  perhaps  even  in 
the  Englishmen  of  a  later  date — Rogers,  for  example. 
And  yet,  with  increasing  technical  ability,  there  came 
diminution  of  the  big  quality  and  of  spontaneity,  an 
insistence  on  the  display  of  manual  skill.  Line  en- 
graving is  a  noteworthy  illustration  of  the  fact  that 
in  the  development  of  a  graphic  art  the  subjugation 
of  the  medium,  as  it  progresses,  opens  the  way  for 
lesser  talents,  in  whose  hands  technique  eventually 
becomes  more  or  less  an  end  instead  of  a  means.  Man- 
nerism and  conventionality  result,  which  are  the  effect 
of  craftsmanship  exercised  mechanically,  without  ref- 
erence to  thought  or  feeling.  The  favorite  form  in 
which  this  mannerism  finds  expression  is  inevitably 
meaningless  neatness  and  finish. 

After  the  craftsmanship  of  the  art  was  developed 
and  had  attained  its  most  brilliant  results  at  the  hands 
of  the  Italian,  German  and  French  masters  of  the 
sixteenth  to  eighteenth  centuries,  it  became  gradually 
more  formal  and  conventional  until  it  was  in  many 
cases  simply  an  exercise  of  skill,  often  of  a  high  order, 
but  not  infrequently  cold  and  hard  as  the  metal  on 
which  it  was  carried  out,  or  weak  and  flabby  in  its 
attempts  at  softness  and  delicacy,  without  the  fire 
of  original  incentive,  of  genius. 

Line  engraving  underwent  a  technical  development 
from  the  simplest  treatment  to  the  most  varied  and 
involved  of  which  the  graver  is  capable. 

It  is  an  interesting  experience  to  go  through  a  col- 


60  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

lection  of  representative  engravings  of  the  various 
schools,  illustrating  the  changing  phases  of  the  art 
in  its  development.  They  can  be  seen  with  slight 
trouble  in  some  of  the  large  cities.  Good  public  col- 
lections are  to  be  found  in  the  Boston  Museum  of 
Fine  Arts,  the  Library  of  Congress,  Harvard  Uni- 
versity, the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts  in  Philadelphia 
and  the  New  York  Public  Library.  Exhibitions  are 
arranged  by  these  print-rooms  and  by  dealers,  which 
offer  either  a  comprehensive  summary  review  of  the 
art,  or  a  completer  view  of  one  of  its  phases:  say, 
early  German  work,  or  portraits  by  French  artists,  or 
titles  and  frontispieces  by  Englishmen,  or  the  work 
of  some  individual  artist,  Diirer  perhaps.  Where  the 
originals  are  not  to  be  seen,  one  may  be  fortunate 
enough  to  find  the  publications  of  the  International 
Chalcographical  Society,  or  the  folio  volumes  "  En- 
gravings and  Wood  Cuts  by  Old  Masters  "  (sec.  XV.- 
XIX.),  edited  by  Friedrich  Lippmann,  in  which  the 
engravings  have  been  so  finely  reproduced  that  "  fac- 
simile reproduction  "  has  been  stamped  on  the  back 
of  each  sheet  so  that  improper  use  may  not  be  made 
of  it.  There  are  also  the  less  excellent  reproductions 
— good  as  memoranda,  however — of  the  "  Kupfer- 
stichkabinet,"  published  by  Fischer  &  Franke  in  1897 
and  after,  or  Ottley's  "  Facsimiles  of  Scarce  and  Curi- 
ous Prints,"  as  well  as  various  reproductions  of  works 
of  individual  artists,  such  as  those  by  Amand  Durand 
after  Lucas  van  Ley  den,  etc. 

Exceedingly  cheap  material  is  sometimes  to  be  had. 
I  recently  saw  advertised  a  volume  of  German  origin, 
with  English  text,  containing  reproductions  of  all 


LINE  ENGRAVING  61 

of  Diirer's  works — over  four  hundred  illustrations 
in  all — at  the  price  of  three  dollars.  However, 
such  cheap  reproductions  are  generally  to  be  used  for 
reference  only.  For  they  are  usually  produced  by 
the  half-tone  process,  which  is  based  on  the  use  of  a 
"  screen,"  the  network  of  lines  in  which  cuts  up  the 
lines  in  the  engravings  reproduced  and  destroys  much 
of  the  effect.  This  disadvantage  does  not  appear  in 
the  Lippmann,  Amand  Durand  and  similar  reproduc- 
tions, which  are  in  absolute  facsimile. 

A  study  of  this  material  leads  to  the  history  of  the 
art.  And  if  we  now  take  a  rapid  survey  of  the  field, 
noting  the  main  tendencies  and  most  noteworthy  ex- 
amples of  individual  expression,  we  must  not  forget 
that  there  is  a  voluminous  literature  on  this  subject. 
That  may  be  turned  to  for  information  on  some 
specialty,  some  particular  period,  or  nationality,  or 
artist.  Duplessis  or  Lippmann  on  the  Italian  en- 
gravers before  Marc  Antonio  will  be  looked  up,  or 
S.  R.  Koehler  on  Diirer,  F.  R.  Halsey  on  Morghen 
and  so  on.  For  a  compressed  history  of  the  whole 
field,  Lippmann's  "  Engraving  and  Etching  "  is  per- 
haps the  best.1  W.  O.  Chapin's  "  Masters  and  Mas- 
terpieces of  Engraving,"  a  larger  book,  is  written  with 
evident  interest  and  devotion  to  the  subject.  The 
works  of  reference  include  also  some  exceedingly 
useful  ones,  not  of  a  kind  to  be  read  through,  but  to 
be  consulted  as  occasion  demands.  These  are  the 
dictionaries  and  catalogues  of  engravers  and  their 
works.  There  are  Adam  Bartsch's  monumental  "  Pein- 
tre-graveur,"  and  the  compilations  of  Nagler,  Dutuit 
and  Leblanc,  dealing  with  the  general  subject.  And 

1  Since  the  above  was  written,  A.  M.  Hind's  excellent  "  Short  History  of 
Engraving  and  Etching  "  has  appeared. 


62  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

there  are  those  covering  special  nationalities  or  periods 
— Robert  Dumesnil  for  France,  Andresen  for  Ger- 
many, Portalis  and  Beraldi  for  the  eighteenth  century 
and  Beraldi  for  the  nineteenth,  all  of  them  books  the 
collection  of  which  is  usually  left  to  the  art  depart- 
ments or  print-rooms  of  public  libraries. 

The  question  of  the  origin  of  engraving  on  metal 
may  be  put  aside  as  leading  to  discussions  which  would 
stand  in  our  way. 

It  will  suffice,  then,  to  say  that  the  use  of  engraved 
plates  for  reproduction  of  designs  by  taking  im- 
pressions has  been  traced  by  various  historians  to  the 
practice  of  goldsmiths  who  rubbed  color  into  the 
lines  of  engraved  ornaments,  and  pressed  paper  upon 
them  in  order  to  preserve  a  pattern  of  the  design. 
The  lines  in  these  metal  ornaments  were  often  in- 
tended to  receive  a  black  enamel  in  order  to  make  them 
stand  out  more  clearly.  Impressions  taken  from  these 
metal  plates  before  the  black  substance  had  been  run 
in  have  survived  to  our  days.  They  are  known  as 
nielli.  Maso  da  Finiguerra1  was  a  noted  niellist. 

And  now,  after  this  little  tribute  to  the  spirit  of 
historical  inquiry,  we  can  turn  to  the  business  in  hand, 
and  that  is  to  look  at  things. 

And  the  first  look  may  cause  astonishment,  perhaps 
some  dismay.  This  very  earliest  German  work,  of 
the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century,  at  first  sight  ap- 
pears puerile  in  the  pitiful  helplessness  of  its  makers, 
fettered  alike  by  limited  draughtsmanship  and  the 
want  of  acquaintance  with  this  new  medium,  copper. 
But  despite  the  elementary  technique,  and  the  wooden- 
looking  figures,  there  is  rough  strength,  and  an  ear- 

1  See  A.  M.  Hind's  "Short  History  of  Engraving  and  Etching"    (1910), 
PP-   36,  39,  40. 


LINE  ENGRAVING  63 

nestness  sometimes  grotesque,  in  the  work  of  these 
early  men,  nameless,  known  to  us  only  by  designations 
borrowed  from  some  mark  or  initial  or  date  on  their 
engravings,  the  "  Master  of  1464,"  "  Master  of  the 
Playing  Cards,"  "  Master  of  the  Gardens  of  Love," 
"  Master  E.  S.  of  1466." 

Now  when  encomiums  are  lavished  on  such  work 
in  all  too  flowery  terms  in  some  handbooks,  the  author 
is  no  doubt  regarding  it  from  the  viewpoint  of  the 
enthusiastic  historian.  The  praise  is  simply  to  be 
taken  in  a  relative  sense.  The  work  is  good, — for  its 
time. 

It  has  sometimes  seemed  to  me  that  the  very  enthu- 
siasm of  some  critics  may  frighten  off  people  who 
perhaps  think  their  case  is  hopeless  because  they  can- 
not see  what  they  are  asked  to  in  the  work  of  these 
old  engravers.  Such  a  writer,  considering  some  in- 
dividual artist,  may  temporarily  wear  blinkers  that 
shut  out  the  view  of  everything  else,  so  that  the  artist 
looms  up  in  proportions  which  would  be  considerably 
reduced  on  comparison  with  others.  And  the  writer, 
seeing  him  thus,  indulges  in  superlative  phrases  that 
leave  us  little  to  say  when  we  get  to  the  really  great 
men.  We  are  then  in  the  position  of  the  effusive 
young  lady  who,  en  route  to  Niagara,  expended  her 
expectant  enthusiasm  over  every  tree  and  hummock 
and  brook,  which  she  pronounced  "  grand,"  "  mag- 
nificent," "  gorgeous,"  to  find,  when  the  grandeur  of 
Niagara  finally  burst  upon  her  vision,  her  vocabulary 
exhausted;  she  could  only  gasp  "  how  cute!  " 

Seriously,  this  little  anecdote  illustrates  another 
point.  Beside  the  magnificence  of  Niagara  there  is 


64  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

the  more  intimate  beauty  of  sunny  meadows,  of  shady 
nooks,  of  mysterious  forest  recesses,  all  with  a  charm 
quite  their  own.  So,  too,  beside  the  great  masters  we 
have  those  of  lesser  talent,  who  also  have  their  claim 
on  our  interest,  and  in  whose  works  we  can  delight 
if  we  only  take  them  as  they  are  and  do  not  expect 
them  to  show  qualities  which  they  cannot  have. 

But  I  must  collect  the  scattered  sheep  of  thought 
and  return  to  our  early  German  engravings.  In 
them,  by  the  very  struggle  with  the  medium,  the 
individuality  is  brought  out.  The  hand  still  gropes, 
the  copper  is  not  yet  tractable,  the  burin  does  not  yet 
move  with  the  certainty  which  it  is  later  to  attain. 
But  there  is  the  vigor  of  the  pioneer.  There  is  an  out- 
look on  life  so  simple  and  sincere  that  it  is  bound  to 
lay  hold  of  us,  and  we  smile  in  sympathy  with  the 
effort  rather  than  in  supercilious  toleration  of  the 
weakness  in  design  and  execution. 

In  the  "  Master  E.  S.  of  1466  "  there  is  already 
more  definite  expression  of  the  striving  for  com- 
pleteness of  effect,  for  cleanness  of  line,  although  the 
often  short,  scratchy  lines  are  little  like  those  of  the 
style  eventually  to  be  developed.  Israel  van  Meckenen, 
I.  A.  of  Zwolle,  Mathaeus  Zasinger,  Albert  Glocken- 
ton  about  the  same  time  or  a  little  later  were  attack- 
ing this  problem  in  Germany  and  the  Low  Countries. 
More  strongly  shown,  in  improved  technique,  does  this 
Teutonic  spirit  of  exactness,  of  conscientious  care  and 
of  thought  and  sentiment  withal,  appear  in  the  plates 
of  Martin  Schongauer,  which  mark  a  considerable 
amount  of  technical  process.  He  shaded  with  curved 
lines. 


LINE  ENGRAVING  65 

The  general  progress  of  development  in  line  and 
wood  engraving  is : 

First,  Outline. 

Second,  Shading  with  Straight  Parallel  Lines. 

Third,  Curved  Parallel  Lines. 

Fourth,  Cross-hatching. 

In  Hamerton's  "  Drawing  and  Engraving "  an 
ornamental  design  by  Lucas  van  Leyden  is  reproduced 
as  embodying  these  four  elements. 

So  these  old  fellows  found  themselves,  found  even 
a  certain  freedom  and  lightness  of  line,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  "  Master  of  the  Amsterdam  Cabinet,"  whose 
engravings  are  treated  much  like  etchings. 

But  it  is  in  Diirer  (1471-1528)  that  the  characteris- 
tics indicated  were  most  fully  developed,  and  found 
supreme  artistic  expression.  He  passed  beyond  the 
efforts  of  all  his  predecessors,  in  his  application  and 
mastery  of  new  technical  effects.  It  is  noticeable  that 
while  he  employed  cross-hatching,  he  did  largely  with- 
out it,  using  long  lines  following  the  form  of  the 
object  he  depicted,  as  in  the  cushions  in  the  "  St. 
Jerome  in  His  Cell,"  or  the  fruit  in  the  hand  of  the 
"  Virgin  with  the  Pear."  He  accomplished  tender 
gradations  of  light  and  shade  not  attempted  before. 
He  reproduced  textures  with  remarkable  effectiveness 
and  a  degree  of  realism  which  stands  out  strongly  in 
the  gleaming  helmet  in  his  "  Coat-of-Arms  with  the 
Skull."  He  portrayed  his  friends  with  strong  char- 
acterization, and  with  attention  to  detail  to  the  extent 
of  showing  in  the  eyes  of  Frederick  III.,  the  Wise, 
Elector  of  Saxony,  the  reflection  of  the  window- frame. 
This  little  pleasantry  is  repeated — for  no  particular 


66  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

reason — in  the  eyes  of  the  large  head  of  Christ,  en- 
graved on  wood,  attributed  to  him.  Durer  experi- 
mented with  both  etching  and  dry-point,  giving  a 
strong  impulse  to  those  processes.  His  "  Holy  Fam- 
ily," and  "  St.  Jerome  in  Penance,"  executed  entirely 
in  the  latter  medium,  show  with  what  freedom  and 
delicacy  he  could  work.  The  want  of  aerial  per- 
spective, of  the  impression  of  distance,  in  his  engrav- 
ings may  perhaps  partly  be  explained  by  the  fact  that 
some  of  them,  the  "  Virgin  with  the  Pear,"  for  in- 
stance, are  cut  with  deep  lines,  thus  making  it  possi- 
ble to  print  a  greater  number  of  impressions  than  if 
the  execution  were  more  delicate.  But  such  treat- 
ment is  apt  to  produce  a  metallic,  hard  appearance  in 
the  print.  And  that  is  exactly  what  this  improvement 
in  technique  was  in  time  to  lead  to,  although  it  took 
several  centuries  to  come  to  its  culmination  of  cold 
regularity.  Durer  was  one  of  the  giants  in  this  art, 
not  only  in  technique,  but  in  the  matter  of  national  and 
individual  expression.  His  carefulness  in  execution, 
expended  lavishly  on  every  detail,  his  abundance  of 
clean,  clear  line  work,  in  the  hands  of  a  less  gifted 
man  might  have  degenerated  into  an  exercise  of  skill 
for  the  mere  love  of  it. 

But  the  individuality,  the  genius,  of  this  man  per- 
vades his  work  absolutely.  This  is  felt  when  looking 
at  the  work  of  Egidius  Sadeler  (1575-1629),  for 
instance,  who  engraved  the  "  Virgin  with  Animals," 
after  Durer.  He  has  more  aerial  perspective  than 
Durer,  yet  he  lacks  the  latter's  power.  Diirer's  "  Adam 
and  Eve  "  and  three  of  his  most  famous  plates — the 
mysterious  "  Melancholia,"  which  has  given  rise  to 


ST.  JEROME  IN  HIS  STUDY. 

By  Albrecht  Diirer. 

There  is  a  remarkable  charm  in  the  treatment  of  this  sunlit  interior,  with 
its  suggestive  details. 


LINE  ENGRAVING  67 

much  discussion,  without  disclosing  its  meaning  to 
general  satisfaction,  "  The  Knight,  Death  and  the 
Devil,"  which  has  been  interpreted  as  the  Christian 
Knight  "  passing  resolutely  through  the  terrors  of  this 
mortal  life,"  and  the  delightful  "  St.  Jerome  in  His 
Cell,"  with  its  masterly  depiction  of  the  sunlight  fil- 
tering through  the  small  panes  of  the  windows,  and 
its  lovingly  detailed  description  of  the  interior — are 
among  the  masterpieces  of  engraving  of  all  time. 

His  influence,  not  only  in  Germany,  but  in  the 
Netherlands  and  Italy,  was  considerable,  and  his  work 
was  much  copied. 

After  Diirer,  in  this  sixteenth  century,  the  group 
known  as  the  Little  Masters,  notably  Albrecht  Alt- 
dorfer,  H.  S.  and  B.  Beham,  Georg  Pencz,  Heinrich 
Aldegrever,  stands  out  prominently.  The  small  en- 
gravings of  Altdorfer  and  the  Behams,  with  delicately 
executed  detail,  depicting  scenes  in  sacred  and  pro- 
fane history  and  in  every-day  life,  and  showing  the 
influence  of  classical  and  Italian  art  in  the  ornamental 
motives,  give  "  intimate  expression  to  the  tendency  of 
the  time,  with  its  preference  for  the  minute  and  deli- 
cate." It  is  worthy  of  note  that  Altdorfer's  etchings 
of  pure  landscape,  which  really  show  more  aerial  per- 
spective than  Diirer's,  are  said  to  be  the  first  ones 
made,  and  these,  says  W.  B.  Scott,  in  his  "  The  Little 
Masters,"  justify  his  "  claim  to  be  considered  '  The 
Father  of  Landscape  Painting.' ' 

National  characteristics  are  strong  in  all  this  work, 
and  show  both  in  the  treatment  of  subjects  as  well 
as  in  the  style  and  design  of  execution.  Barthel 
Beham's  "  Virgin  at  the  Window  "  is  a  simply  de- 


68  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

light  ful,  unaffected — I  had  almost  said  artless — pic- 
ture of  a  scene  in  domestic  life.  However,  just  as  the 
formative  causes  of  national  or  individual  character 
or  action  are  complex,  so  in  art  you  cannot  usually 
put  your  ringer  on  the  work  of  some  school  or  artist 
and  designate  it  as  absolutely  sui  generis,  without 
admixture  of  foreign  elements.  So  here,  the  Southern 
spirit  came  in  to  modify  the  Northern. 

Sidney  Colvin  says  of  Hans  Sebald  Beham :  "  In 
religious  pieces,  in  classical  subjects,  in  fable  and 
fancy,  in  ornamental  pattern,  in  scenes  of  peasant  la- 
bor or  peasant  merriment  and  debauchery,  he  exhibits 
always  the  same  characteristic  cross  or  alliance  of  the 
old  German  plainness,  toughness,  grit,  with  the  new 
Italian  style  and  correctness  of  design."  Moreover, 
the  influence  was  to  an  extent  mutual.  We  see  that 
in  the  relations  between  Durer  and  Marc  Antonio. 
And  even  earlier,  the  influence  of  Germans,  such  as 
the  Master  E.  S.  of  1466,  may  be  traced  in  Florentine 
engravings. 

The  tendencies  shown  with  such  skill  by  the  Little 
Masters  were  reflected  in  the  work  of  lesser  lights, 
Brosamer  and  a  swarm  of  anonymous  men.  In  these 
days,  too,  Lautensack  began  to  practice  the  combina- 
tion of  line-engraving  and  etching,  gaining  desired 
effects  more  quickly.  Facilitated  production  brought 
forth  a  class  of  mechanical  purveyors  of  the  art 
market.  Yet  much  of  their  work  had  decided  merit, 
and  in  all  these  views,  ornaments,  pattern-books  for 
designers,  book-illustrations,  allegories,  emblems  and 
portraits,  there  is  much  that  is  of  artistic  and  tech- 
nical as  well  as  of  historical  interest.  The  names  of 


LINE  ENGRAVING  69 

Jost  Amman  and  Virgil  Solis  stand  out  somewhat 
prominently. 

In  the  Netherlands,  in  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  Lucas  van  Leyden  played  an  important  part 
in  art.  His  engravings  show  him  to  have  been  influ- 
enced successively  by  Diirer  and  Raimondi.  The  large 
"  Ecce  Homo  "  is  a  good  example  of  his  careful  work, 
lively  characterization  and  skill  in  grouping  and  dis- 
tributing figures,  as  is  also  "  The  Dance  of  the  Mag- 
dalen," considered  his  masterpiece.  In  some  of  his 
plates  the  landscape  background  and  the  sky  are  quite 
subordinated,  put  in  with  a  lighter  touch,  showing 
attention  to  the  matter  of  aerial  perspective,  an  unu- 
sual proceeding  in  his  day.  As  we  have  seen,  the  lack 
of  this  latter  element  is  noticeable  in  much  of  the  early 
work,  even  Diirer's,  foreground,  middle  distance  and 
background  being  all  put  on  the  same  plane. 

The  strong  influence  which  Italy  at  this  time  exer- 
cised upon  Leyden  and  many  other  artists  of  his  land 
does  not  appear  to  have  always  had  the  best  results. 
The  grafting  of  Italian  ideals  on  the  native  Dutch 
stock  of  national  feeling  was  hardly  an  entirely  suc- 
cessful operation.  But  while  this  influx  of  Southern 
ideals  was  forming  its  phase  of  the  development  of 
Dutch  art,  some  engravers  were  still  upholding 
northern  traditions,  and  the  influence  of  Diirer  is  felt. 
Of  the  three  brothers  Wierix,  Jan,  the  eldest,  executed 
a  copy  of  Diirer's  "  Knight,  Death  and  the  Devil " 
at  fourteen,  thus  rivaling  Lucas  van  Leyden  in  preco- 
ciousness.  There  is  quite  delicate  engraving  in  the 
faces  of  the  large  portraits  by  Hieronymus  Wierix. 

The  development  of  Dutch  and  Flemish  painting 


70  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

toward  the  end  of  this  century  and  the  beginning  of 
the  seventeenth  undoubtedly  helped  to  foster  this  na- 
tional impulse  in  engraving,  exemplified  especially  in 
the  work  of  Hendrik  Goltzius  (1558-1616).  It  is 
the  remarkable  technique  that  fascinates  in  this  artist's 
plates,  his  wonderful  command  of  the  graver,  rang- 
ing from  the  close-lined  detail-work  of  Diirer  and 
Leyden  and  their  followers,  to  the  broad,  sweeping 
style  which,  as  we  shall  see,  Agostino  Carracci  in- 
augurated. His  suggestion  of  texture  and  impression 
of  color  should  be  specially  noted.  Where  he  fol- 
lowed foreign  influence,  as  in  some  of  his  figure  com- 
positions, his  mannerisms  indicate  the  spirit  that 
eventually  tried  to  show  vigor  by  reveling  in  an  ex- 
aggeration of  action  into  theatrical  pose,  of  physical 
strength  into  hypertrophied  muscular  development. 

What  I  say  here  and  elsewhere  in  pointing  out  weak- 
nesses must  not  be  interpreted  as  an  attempt  to  smash 
reputations,  or  to  dim  the  lustre  of  names  which  have 
radiance  to  the  eyes  of  many.  We  are  not  to  think 
less  of  the  work  of  men  thus  singled  out,  but  we  may 
think  more  about  it.  We  like  our  friends  despite  their 
weaknesses,  and  we  can  enjoy  the  good  qualities  in  the 
works  of  certain  engravers  without  overlooking  their 
faults.  We  can  appreciate  the  lines  which  were  put 
down  with  the  definite  purpose  of  expressing  some- 
thing, without  losing  sight  of  the  fact  that  others  were 
graven  with  no  such  definite  purpose.  We  are  not 
indulging  in  indiscriminate  hero-worship  but  are  be- 
coming acquainted  with  artists  of  human  virtues  and 
faults. 

Furthermore,  we  must  not  forget  that  the  process 


LINE  ENGRAVING  71 

is  a  form  of  artistic  expression,  with  inevitable  forms 
which  in  the  hands  of  a  master  remain  a  means  to  an 
end. 

"Aha,"  I  may  be  told,  "then  all  this  talk  about 
formality  of  line  was  uncalled  for,  since  that  quality 
is  a  necessity." 

Not  quite.  The  engraver  cannot  get  away  from  the 
limits  of  his  tools.  Neither  can  the  painter.  But 
what  a  scale  of  differences  between  the  finest  paintings 
and  a  poor  daub.  How  many  grades  of  artists  be- 
tween these  two  extremes,  in  whose  work  we  find 
much  that  is  worthy  of  our  attention.  We  have  the 
same  state  of  affairs  in  engraving.  This  can  be  illus- 
trated without  going  to  poor  work.  Take  plates  by 
three  men  of  note,  who  will  be  considered  more  fully 
later. 

Nanteuil's  "  Bellievre,"  G.  F.  Schmidt's  "  Mig- 
nard,"  J.  G.  Wille's  "Boy  blowing  soap  bubbles." 
They  rank  in  the  order  named.  See  how  in  Schmidt's 
plate  there  is  just  a  little  more  use  of  the  line  for  its 
own  sake,  and  how  Wille  employs  it  thus  quite 
frankly,  producing  a  table,  for  instance,  that  might  be 
made  of  any  hard  material  you  please,  for  the  regu- 
larly cross-hatched  lines  tell  little.  Yet  no  one  would 
accuse  Wille  of  weakness,  despite  his  mannerism. 
The  very  nature  of  the  work  tends  to  place  so  strong 
an  emphasis  on  neatness  and  precision.  It  lies  with 
us  to  discern  the  spirit  in  which  the  engraver  has  set 
down  his  lines.  And  this  may  be  done,  with  a  little 
practice,  a  little  developing  of  insight. 

Goltzius,  whose  work  has  led  us  into  this  little 
digression,  was  an  artist  of  remarkable  adaptability  to 


72  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

the  style  of  others,  and  of  a  decided  personality  at 
the  same  time.  His  manner  is  shadowed  by  his  pupils, 
Jan  Saenredam,  Jacob  Gheyn  and  others,  some  of 
whom,  with  all  their  ability,  could  not  repress  the 
tendency  to  indulge  in  lines  whose  vigor  and  dash 
were  expended  in  saying  nothing. 

An  interesting  phase  of  the  development  of  engrav- 
ing in  the  Netherlands  in  the  seventeenth  century  is 
the  influence  of  Rubens,  who  directed  a  number  of 
engravers,  infusing  his  ideas  and  style  into  their  work. 
They  reproduced  his  paintings  in  a  brilliant  and  char- 
acteristic manner,  with  a  vigorous,  free  execution, 
with  bold  sweep  of  line.  This  remarkable  school  of 
engravers  whom  he  thus  gathered  around 'him  in  close 
relationship  included  especially  Pieter  Soutman,  Lucas 
Vorsterman,  Paul  Pontius,  Schelte  a  Bolswert,  Pieter 
de  Jode  and  Jan  Witdoeck.  Adolf  Rosenberg  devoted 
an  illustrated  folio  volume  to  their  important  activity. 

While  this  rich  influence  was  at  work  in  Antwerp, 
a  few  Dutch  line  engravers  were  perpetuating  some 
of  the  paintings  of  this  flourishing  period  of  Dutch 
art.  Cornelis  Visscher  was  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished, and  that  not  only  in  his  own  land.  Beside 
his  spirited  portraits  and  his  plates  after  the  genre 
paintings  of  Ostade  and  others,  he  produced  some  orig- 
inal figure  pieces  inspired  by  these  artists,  particularly 
the  "  Ratcatcher,"  executed  with  breadth  and  vigor, 
which  has  been  frequently  chosen  as  an  illustration  in 
books  on  Dutch  art  or  engraving. 

There  was  Jan  Suyderhoef,  too,  in  whose  portraits 
after  Hals  and  Rubens  the  clothes  are  covered  with  the 
then  already  common  practice  of  mechanical  and  often 


THE  RAT  CATCHER. 

Line    engraving    by    Cornells    Visscher. 

(i7th   century.) 


LINE  ENGRAVING  73 

meaningless  cross-hatching;  but  the  faces  and  hands 
are  done  with  an  absolutely  free  touch,  giving  the 
effect  of  an  etching,  and  most  happily  reproducing  the 
style  of  that  placer  of  strong  brush-marks,  Frans  Hals. 

Then,  too,  there  was  Abraham  Blooteling,  using 
cross-hatching  even  in  the  shadows  on  the  faces,  but 
in  fine  lines  and  with  restraint.  His  portrait  of 
Admiral  Egbert  Meesz  Kortenaer,  a  bluff,  fine,  pomp- 
ous old  sea-dog,  is  well  known  and  well  executed.  In 
the  next  century,  the  eighteenth,  one  of  the  few  Dutch 
engravers  who  deserve  notice  is  Jacob  Houbraken, 
who  in  his  many  portraits  attains  a  sort  of  dead 
level  of  excellence. 

Meanwhile,  the  Italians  had  been  developing  the 
art  in  their  own  way.  The  very  early  Florentine  work 
of  the  fifteenth  century  was  mainly  in  outline,  with 
suggestions  of  the  goldsmith's  touch ;  soon  after  came 
the  use  of  straight  parallel  lines  for  shading. 

A  number  of  these  early  engravings,  including  the 
so-called  tarot  cards,  have  been  ascribed  to  one  Baccio 
Baldini.  Modern  research  has  cast  doubts  on  this 
authorship,  but  the  name  may  do  to  bind  together 
work  which  shows  affinity  and  similarity  of  style. 
Among  the  Baldini  engravings  are  those  in  an  edi- 
tion of  Dante  of  1481,  which,  on  the  one  hand,  have 
been  characterized  as  indifferent,  and,  on  the  other, 
praised  in  superlative  terms.  These  Dante  illustra- 
tions are  from  drawings  by  Botticelli,  who  appears  to 
have  had  a  decided  influence  on  Florentine  engraving 
in  his  day.  Botticelli's  original  drawings  for  the 
"  Divine  Comedy  "  were  reproduced  in  a  large  folio 
issued  by  the  Royal  Museums  in  Berlin,  and  students 


74  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

of  Dante  in  this  country  have  in  recent  years  paid 
increasing  attention  to  them. 

It  is  not  in  Florence,  however,  but  in  Mantua  that 
the  greatest  master  of  engraving  in  Italy  in  the  fif- 
teenth century  is  to  be  sought.  That  is  Andrea  Man- 
tegna  (1431-1506),  who  made  most  noticeable  use 
of  parallel,  oblique,  uncrossed  lines.  These  lines, 
which  do  not  follow  the  curves  and  contours  of  the 
object  depicted,  as  they  do  with  Diirer  and  other  Ger- 
mans, help  to  give  an  aspect  of  severe  seriousness,  a 
stern  grandeur  of  style,  a  sculpturesque  effect,  which 
is  in  accord  with  the  classic  tendencies  of  Mantegna. 
The  "  Entombment "  is  a  plate  in  which  these  char- 
acteristics are  particularly  apparent. 

As  Mantegna  had  his  sphere  of  influence,  so  also 
did  the  schools  of  Milan,  Venice  and  Verona  set  their 
stamp  on  Italian  engraving  of  this  period.  In  Venice 
there  were  Jacopo  de'Barbari  (the  "  Master  of  the 
Caduceus  "),  who  adopted  German  technical  methods, 
and  forms  an  important  link  in  art  between  the  two 
countries;  Giulio  Campagnola,  who  gained  softness  of 
effect  by  scattering  dots  between  his  lines;  and  Giro- 
lamo  Mocetto,  who  engraved  his  lines  in  a  free,  un- 
even way,  a  little  crude,  but  vigorous.  Thus,  various 
tendencies  are  felt  in  Italian  engraving  during  this 
century,  tendencies  inspired  by  local  schools  and  by 
individual  artists,  for  it  has  been  pointed  out  that  the 
connection  between  engraving  and  painting  was  a  pre- 
dominant feature  here  from  the  first.  Beside  these 
already  mentioned,  Domenico  Campagnola,  Nicoletto 
da  Modena,  Benedetto  Montagna  are  names  which 
stand  out  with  some  prominence. 


LINE  ENGRAVING  75 

With  the  sixteenth  century  there  came  Marc  Anto- 
nio Raimondi.  Hitherto  line  engraving  had  been 
practiced  mainly  as  an  art  of  original  production, 
as  painter-engraving.  Marc  Antonio  practically  estab- 
lished line  engraving  as  a  reproductive  art.  For  such 
work  he  was  especially  well  fitted  by  his  rare  power 
of  adaptability.  Decidedly  influenced  by  the  German 
engravers,  he  developed  an  individual  style,  with  much 
technical  skill.  His  means  are  still  simple  as  com- 
pared with  the  elaboration  of  later  Italian  work, 
though  he  does  use  cross-hatching  sparingly.  Marc 
Antonio's  best  work  was  that  in  which  he  preserved 
many  of  Raphael's  drawings  and  sketches,  such  as 
the  "  Adam  and  Eve,"  and  the  "  Massacre  of  the 
Innocents,"  interpreting  them  in  the  spirit  of  the 
originals,  with  beauty  of  line  and  sometimes  sugges- 
tion of  tone,  with  a  rare  reserve  and  a  resultant 
economy  of  line. 

Raphael's  direct  interest  in  the  production  of  these 
prints  illustrates  a  condition  more  strongly  emphasized 
later  by  Rubens,  or  still  later  by  J.  M.  W.  Turner. 

Marc  Antonio's  influence  was  great  and  far-reach- 
ing, and  is  felt  even  when  it  became  modified  by  other 
factors.  The  list  of  those  who  based  their  technique 
upon  his  is  a  long  one,  arid  its  ponderous  procession 
in  the  dictionaries  of  engravers  (Bartsch,  and  Nagler, 
and  Le  Blanc)  may  well  be  left  undisturbed  on  the 
whole,  until  information  is  needed  about  one  or  the 
other  in  the  course  of  one's  wanderings  among  prints. 

A  reference,  as  usual,  to  a  few  particularly  note- 
worthy ones  will  suffice.  There  were  Jacopo  Francia 
and  Agostino  de'Musi,  Marco  de  Ravenna,  the  Master 


76  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

with  the  Die,  and  Giorgio  Ghisi  (1520-82),  who  in 
his  attempt  to  combine  the  characteristics  of  Marc 
Antonio  with  the  treatment  of  the  Germans,  attained 
more  delicacy,  perhaps,  than  the  Italian  master,  more 
definiteness  of  texture,  yet  lacks  the  spirit,  the  dignity, 
the  consummate  art  of  the  latter. 

The  business  of  publishing  engravings  now  was  ex- 
tensively developed,  and  the  engraver  became  com- 
pletely dependent  on  the  publisher,  who  himself  was 
often  an  engraver,  and  usually  one  of  no  great  skill. 
A  similar  domination  of  the  commercial  spirit  is  felt 
likewise  in  other  countries,  and  this  spirit  hovered 
over  the  decline  of  the  art  at  the  end  of  the  nineteenth 
century. 

There  was  no  lack  of  activity  in  Italy  during  the 
seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries,  but  there  are 
only  a  few  masters  of  special  importance.  Agostino 
Carracci  (1557-1602)  introduced  a  style  of  engrav- 
ing in  which  cross-hatched  lines  laid  in  large  strokes, 
well  apart,  followed  the  outlines  of  the  object  repre- 
sented, growing  thicker  in  the  shadows.  It  was  a 
grand  style,  with  big  gestures  and  exaggerated  muscu- 
lar development,  but  with  no  attempt  at  niceties  of 
execution,  rendering  of  textures  or  impressions  of 
color  or  tone,  a  masterly  rendition  on  copper  of  his 
style  in  painting.  Much  of  the  activity  of  the  Italian 
engravers  of  the  eighteenth  century  was  directed  to- 
ward the  reproduction  of  the  works  of  the  old  masters. 
In  this  field  an  important  part  was  played  by  Giovanni 
Volpato  (1738-1803),  and  much  more  by  his  brilliant 
pupil  Raphael  Morghen  (1758-1833).  The  latter's 
most  famous  engraving  is  the  "  Last  Supper,"  after 


LINE  ENGRAVING  77 

Leonardo  da  Vinci.  In  tone  and  textures  this  plate 
is  certainly  fine.  The  hardness  of  line  is  subdued,  and 
there  are  delightful  details,  such  as  the  luminous  deli- 
cacy of  the  tablecloth  or  the  pleasing,  low-toned  bit 
of  landscape  seen  in  the  background.  Morghen's 
work  is  usually  low  in  tone,  reserved  as  it  were,  and 
has  dignity;  some  of  it  is  notably  good  in  the  flesh 
portions,  a  specialty  in  which  Porporati  gained  great 
proficiency.  It  is  well  to  regard  the  general  effect 
of  Morghen's  engravings,  and  not  to  look  at  them 
closely  enough  to  be  irritated  by  the  sometimes  cold 
regularity  of  the  reticulations  formed  by  his  lines. 
Longhi,  Toschi,  Gandolfi  and  others  who  came  after, 
carried  on  the  traditions  of  their  predecessors  in  Italy, 
and  were  yet  a  little  more  soft,  more  insipid,  more 
languid.  They  had  grace  with  little  sparkle;  a  cold, 
gray,  somewhat  spiritless  sureness  in  execution;  a 
well-tempered  suavity  and  serenity  that  lacked  the 
snap  of  reserve  strength.  They  maintained  the  dig- 
nity of  the  art  in  a  creditable  way.  The  important 
service  which  they  rendered  in  disseminating  the 
knowledge  of  the  masterpieces  of  painting  must  not  be 
overlooked. 

The  efforts  of  Jean  Duvet,  Etienne  Delaune,  Woei- 
riot,  Ducerceau,  Frenchmen  of  the  late  sixteenth  and 
early  seventeenth  centuries,  are  not  without  interest. 
A  definite  tendency  does  not  appear  to  make  itself  felt 
until  a  growing  popularity  of  engraved  portraits  fur- 
thered the  development  of  that  specialty  in  which 
French  engraving  was  to  celebrate  some  of  its  finest 
triumphs.  Claude  Mellan  (1598-1688)  had  some 
influence  on  this  phase  of  French  art.  His  extraordi- 


78  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

nary  technical  skill  in  the  use  of  vigorous  lines,  wid- 
ened at  the  shadow,  and  not  crossed  by  others,  enabled 
him  to  execute,  in  his  famous  "  Veronica's  Handker- 
chief," a  head  of  Christ  in  a  single  spiral  line  begin- 
ning at  the  tip  of  the  nose.  The  tendency  has  usually 
been  to  regard  this  rather  as  a  curiosity  that  really  was 
not  needed  to  lend  emphasis  to  the  undoubted  value  of 
his  engravings.  His  contemporary,  Jean  Morin,  in  por- 
traits such  as  that  of  Vitre,  employed  etching  on  face 
and  hands,  producing  a  peculiar  freedom  and  richness 
of  effect.  In  the  work  of  Gerard  Edelinck,  Robert 
Nanteuil,  Antoine  Masson  and  the  Drevets,  the  bril- 
liancy of  this  period  of  French  portraiture  on  copper 
is  made  manifest.  Charles  Sumner  sang  a  hymn  of 
praise  to  their  productions  in  his  pamphlet  on  "  The 
Best  Portraits  in  Engraving."  x  Their  portraits,  exe- 
cuted sometimes  after  paintings  by  others  and  some- 
times after  the  engravers'  own  drawings  (especially 
in  the  case  of  Nanteuil),  are  characterized  by  bril- 
liancy and  delicacy  in  execution,  a  remarkable  tech- 
nique and  a  wonderful  skill  in  rendering  textures — 
well  restrained  in  order  to  preserve  harmony.  The 
draperies,  the  laces  and  silks,  the  carved  wood  and 
other  textures,  are  rendered  with  realism,  but  subordi- 
nated to  the  faces,  which  are  engraved  with  great 
delicacy.  In  these  plates  the  great  ones  of  France 
of  that  day  pass  before  us  in  undying  and  imposing 
distinction,  though  some  of  the  subjects  are  long  for- 
gotten and  dead  to  any  fame  save  the  reflected  glory 
they  can  get  from  these  fine  products  of  the  line 
engraver's  art. 

They  displayed  the  character  of  their  sitters,  too, 

1  In    1910  there  was  published   an   exhaustive   study  of   "French   Portrait 
Engraving  of  the  Seventeenth  and  Eighteenth  Centuries,"  by  T.  H.  Thomas. 


PORTRAIT  OF  POMPONE  DE  BELLIEVRE. 
Line  engraving  by  Robert  Nanteuil,  after  Charles  LeBrun. 


LINE  ENGRAVING  79 

these  old  French  engravers.  Look  at  Nanteuil's 
"  Richelieu,"  for  one,  and  see  how  the  nature  of  the 
Cardinal  is  fairly  laid  bare  in  this  unobtrusive  but 
quietly  powerful  print.  A  similarly  delightful  char- 
acterization is  seen  in  his  little  head  of  Cardinal 
Mazarin,  the  one  drawn  by  him  from  the  life  in  1659, 
and  showing  the  cardinal's  monogram  in  the  lower 
right  corner.  Nanteuil's  "  Pompone  de  Bellievre," 
Edelinck's  "  Philippe  de  Champaigne,"  Masson's 
"  Brisacier "  and  P.  I.  Brevet's  "  Bossuet "  were 
once  considered  the  four  finest  portraits  ever 
engraved.  As  a  matter  of  technical  interest  it  is 
worth  noting  that  the  white  lines  in  the  hair  of  the 
"  Brisacier  "  are,  of  course,  produced  by  carefully  cut- 
ting around  each  one  of  them,  so  that  they  stand  out 
in  relief.  That  is,  the  white  hairs  are  the  surface  of 
the  plate,  the  intervening  black  lines  having  been  cut 
away. 

In  this  best  of  French  work  we  see  illustrated  again 
the  fact  upon  which  I  have  been  harping,  that  you 
can  hardly  get  any  line  engraving  without  some  con- 
ventionality of  line,  that  this  formality,  though  pres- 
ent only  in  subdued  form,  is  a  necessary  characteristic 
of  the  art,  and  that  we  must  adjust  our  appreciation 
of  an  art  to  it  as  it  is,  and  not  as  it  might  be  if  it 
were  something  else. 

Of  these  great  portrait  engravers  the  Drevets  take 
us  well  into  the  eighteenth  century. 

That  period  is  reflected  in  all  its  elegance,  brilliancy, 
luxury,  light-hearted  gayety  and  tolerant  moral  con- 
sciousness in  the  works  of  the  painters  of  the  period. 
Their  canvases  in  turn  were  disseminated  in  repro- 


8o  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

ductions  on  copper  by  a  group  of  engravers  who  ad- 
mirably illustrate  French  characteristics  in  the  grace 
and  skill  with  which  they  set  before  us  the  France 
of  their  day  as  seen  by  its  painters.  The  romantic 
art  of  Watteau,  idealizing  the  daily  life  of  the  nobles, 
transporting  them  to  enchanted  isles,  to  pleasant 
regions  where  the  sky  is  ever  blue;  the  sentimental 
moralizing  of  Greuze,  with  its  apparently  unconscious 
voluptuousness,  which  becomes  quite  conscious  with 
the  decorative  Boucher ;  the  more  elegant  and  graceful 
lightheartedness  of  Fragonard;  the  totally  different 
art  of  Chardin,  who  pictured  the  life  of  the  middle 
class  in  its  homely  virtues  with  a  refinement  and  dig- 
nity and  truth,  and  a  reserve  which,  it  appears,  for 
a  while  helped  to  obscure  his  great  talent  beside  the 
more  brilliant  qualities  of  his  contemporaries  (al- 
though quite  recently  there  has  arisen  a  renewed  inter- 
est in  his  work) — all  these  things  employed  the  burins 
of  skillful  engravers.  Tardieu,  Cars,  Aveline,  Le  Bas, 
Robert  Gaillard,  Surugue,  Brion;  De  Launay,  master 
of  the  estampe  galante;  Nicolas  de  Larmessin, 
Flipart,  Lepicie,  Jean  Massard,  Voyez  and  Simonet 
rendered  these  paintings  with  sympathy  and  intelli- 
gence. Landscape  art,  in  Claude  Joseph  Vernet's  large 
canvases,  was  successfully  reproduced  by  the  burins  of 
a  number  of  engravers,  as  were  also  paintings  by  the 
old  masters. 

It  was  for  France  a  glorious  century  of  line  engrav- 
ing, as  it  was  for  England  a  brilliant  period  of  mezzo- 
tint. Engraving  even  became  fashionable,  and  people 
of  rank  wielded  burin  or  needle,  among  whom  the 
Comte  de  Caylus  exercised  a  decided  influence  on  art. 


LINE  ENGRAVING  81 

A  delightful  by-product  of  this  French  skill  is  found 
in  the  numerous  book-illustrations,  vignettes  as  well 
as  head  and  tail  pieces,  engraved  and  etched  by  Joseph 
de  Longueil,  C.  E.  Gaucher,  J.  B.  Simonet,  Nicolas 
Ponce  and  others  from  designs  by  Moreau  le  jeune, 
P.  P.  Choffard,  H.  F.  Gravelot,  C.  P.  Marillier, 
Charles  Eisen,  Augustin  de  St.  Aubin,  Lavreince  and 
the  younger  Cochin.  Most  of  these  productions  were 
small  in  size,  finished,  neat,  graceful  and  delicately 
etched,  for  the  needle  played  an  important  part  in  their 
production.  On  the  whole,  they  were  marked  by 
grace  rather  than  by  any  remarkable  power  of  char- 
acterization or  expression  in  the  individual  faces. 

These  illustrations,  together  with  the  larger  plates 
in  which  Moreau  and  others  produced  a  veritable 
"  comedy  of  manners,"  form  the  subject  of  a  large 
and  copiously  illustrated  volume  by  Lady  Dilke, 
"  French  Engravers  and  Draughtsmen  of  the  Eight- 
eenth Century"  (London,  1902).  A  useful  record 
of  the  artists  of  this  period,  in  alphabetical  arrange- 
ment, is  Portalis  and  Beraldi's  "  Graveurs  du  Dix- 
huitieme  Siecle  " ;  and  J.  Lewine's  "  Bibliography  of 
Eighteenth  Century  Art  and  Illustrated  Books " 
(1898)  is  a  guide,  with  prices,  to  collectors  of  Eng- 
lish work  as  well  as  French.1  Another  of  the  many 
works  dealing  with  this  period  is  Wm.  Loring 
Andrews's  "  A  Trio  of  Eighteenth  Century  French 
Engravers  of  Portraits  in  Miniature :  Ficquet,  Savart, 
Grateloup  "  (1898),  a  work  now  very  rare. 

A  noteworthy  example  of  proficiency  in  the  tech- 
nical side  of  pure  burin  engraving  was  J.  G.  Wille, 
who  had  many  followers.  The  precision  and  mathe- 

1  See  also  L.  Delteil's  "Manuel  de  1'amateur  d'estampes  du   i8«  siecle" 
(1910). 


82  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

matical  regularity  with  which  he  engraved  his  lines, 
freely  cross-hatched,  with  "  imperturbable  delibera- 
tion and  cold  skill,"  was  an  expression  of  the  spirit 
that  led  to  the  decline  of  the  art.  His  "  Good  Woman 
of  Normandy  "  is  a  characteristic  example  of  his  style 
at  its  best,  and  his  "  Paternal  Advice,"  after  Terburg, 
is  famous  for  the  skill  with  which  the  dress  of  the 
lady  in  the  foreground  is  rendered.  The  metallic 
effect  of  his  execution  and  his  feeling  for  textures 
coincided  in  the  reproduction  of  a  remarkably  "  life- 
like "  metal  pitcher  in  the  window  of  "  La  Menagerie 
Hollandoise  "  after  G.  Dow. 

In  the  eighteenth  century  the  mezzotint  reigned  in 
England.  But  there  were  three  line  engravers  of 
merit — Robert  Strange,  William  Sharp  and  WiHiam 
Woollett.  The  earliest  English-born  engravers  of 
note,  William  Rogers  and  Thomas  Cockson,  had  been 
soon  followed  by  others  in  the  seventeenth  century — 
William  Marshall,  William  Hole,  Francis  Delaram 
and  particularly  William  Faithorne.  Their  work  is 
well  described  in  Sidney  Colvin's  "  Early  Engraving 
and  Engravers  in  England  (1545-1695)."  Then,  to- 
ward the  eighteenth  century,  came  the  invention  of 
mezzotint,  and  line  engraving  was  crowded  into  the 
background. 

Of  the  three  exceptions  of  note  whom  I  mentioned, 
Robert  Strange,  notwithstanding  the  formal  regu- 
larity of  his  style,  avoided  the  metallic  quality  of  the 
later  Frenchmen.  His  softness  in  execution  is  noticea- 
ble particularly  in  his  flesh  tints,  which  have  been 
praised  with  good  cause.  Firm  modeling  of  flesh 
appears  in  his  plates  after  Titian  and  other  old  Italian 


LINE  ENGRAVING  83 

masters.  The  fine  portrait  of  Queen  Henrietta  after 
Van  Dyck  is  a  good  example  of  his  treatment  of  dra- 
peries and  textures.  William  Sharp  also  maintained 
traditions  of  the  past,  and,  like  Strange,  he  numbers 
among  his  best  works  a  portrait  of  Charles  I.,  his 
showing  three  heads  on  one  plate,  right  and  left  pro- 
files and  front  view.  His  portrait  of  John  Hunter  is 
equally  noted.  He  employed  much  cross-hatching, 
and  is  somewhat  harder  in  his  touch  than  Strange. 

Woollett  devoted  himself  especially  to  landscape, 
making  a  skillful  use  of  the  combination  of  needle  and 
burin,  particularly  advantageous  in  landscape  work. 
His  "  Death  of  General  Wolfe  "  and  "  Battle  of  La 
Hogue "  are  his  two  most  famous  prints ;  and  his 
engravings  of  Wilson's  "  Phaeton "  and  of  Claude 
Lorraine's  "  Roman  Edifices  in  Ruins  "  illustrate  both 
the  vigor  and  delicacy  of  his  art  in  pictorial,  dramatic 
effect  and  fine  gradations  of  tone.  He  did  not  have 
the  exceeding  fineness  of  line  of  some  of  the  later 
men,  who  did  the  "  French  Coast  "  series  after  Tur- 
ner, but  there  was  a  bigness  about  his  work  that 
achieved  both  strength  and  delicacy.  His  plates,  too, 
are  large,  and  therefore  demand  a  breadth  of  treat- 
ment that  would  be  out  of  place  in  one  of  the  small 
vignettes  in  Rogers'  "  Italy." 

It  is  an  important  point,  this  adaptation  of  method 
to  purpose.  The  sculptor  would  not  put  into  a  large 
figure  to  be  seen  on  the  top  of  a  building  the  same 
finish  that  would  be  bestowed  on  a  statuette  to  be 
examined  close  by.  Nor  would  an  easel  picture  of  a 
Dutch  interior  be  treated  in  the  same  way  as  a  dec- 
orative painting  for  a  high  ceiling.  Woollett's  large 


84  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

plates  should  not  be  scanned  closely  to  take  in  all 
the  details  of  workmanship.  When  held  off  a  bit, 
the  fine  effect  of  cloud  and  sky,  for  instance,  is  ob- 
tained without  having  to  see  the  means  used  to  pro- 
duce the  effect,  the  broadly  laid  lines,  quite  far  apart. 
These  lines  will  disappear,  as  do  the  blots  of  color  in 
the  painting  of  the  impressionist,  when  the  beholder 
gets  to  a  proper  distance,  instead  of  putting  his  nose 
to  the  canvas  and  then  wondering  why  the  artist  has 
put  such  meaningless  spots  of  color  there. 

William  Hogarth  may  also  be  mentioned  here,  al- 
though his  plates  really  mean  little  in  the  history  of 
engraving.  They  are  vigorous,  and  a  little  crude. 
His  importance  lies  in  his  power  as  a  satirist  and  in- 
culcator  of  moral  lessons.  His  paintings  were  gener- 
ally copied  by  other  engravers. 

I  have  occasionally  referred  to  the  older  print  pub- 
lishers. Among  them  Boydell  was  a  notable  figure. 
Himself  an  engraver  and  a  person  of  importance  in 
London,  which  city  he  served  as  alderman,  he  carried 
on  an  important  publishing  business.  He  commis- 
sioned artists  to  paint  pictures  for  the  express  purpose 
of  having  them  engraved,  and  issued  the  famous 
"  Shakespeare  Gallery." 

In  Germany,  as  elsewhere,  the  demand  for  por- 
traiture resulted  in  an  avalanche  of  prints  in  the 
seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries.  Many  of  these 
were  produced  in  what  we  may  well  call  engravers' 
shops.  Others  rise  above  the  level  of  the  average, 
among  them,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  the  works  of 
Kilian,  Falk,  Kiisel,  Egidius  Sadeler  and  the  Merians, 
known  by  their  numerous  views  of  places ;  it  was  from 


LINE  ENGRAVING  85 

Matthaus  Merian  that  Wenzel  Hollar,  the  etcher, 
learned  to  do  landscapes. 

There  is  a  wealth  of  material  here,  though  the 
work  of  no  great  master.  Especially  are  there  inter- 
esting portraits  of  notabilities  and  views  of  cities, 
things  to  interest  especially  the  collector  of  prints 
for  their  subject-matter,  but,  nevertheless,  full  of 
pleasant  little  surprises  also  for  the  student  of  en- 
gravings as  objects  of  art. 

The  influence  of  French  engraving  in  the  eight- 
eenth century  extended  also  to  Germany,  and  a  note- 
worthy product  of  this  amalgamation  of  French  style 
and  German  spirit  was  Georg  Friedrich  Schmidt 
(1712-1775).  He  was  an  engraver  of  great  ability 
who  produced  -such  realistic  masterpieces  as  the  por- 
trait of  the  painter  Mignard,  1744.  In  his  work,  too, 
we  find  the  careful  and  unfailing  choice  of  the  proper 
lines  to  express  texture,  the  almost  mechanical  ease  of 
execution,  which  we  have  seen  in  the  works  of  his 
French  contemporaries.  Subsequently  he  laid  down 
the  burin  to  take  up  the  etching-needle.  In  this  new 
field  he  was  strongly  influenced  by  the  work  of  Rem- 
brandt. And,  though  one  still  sees  the  effect  of  his 
practice  of  tracing  regular  lines  on  the  copper,  he 
produced  some  etchings  of  remarkable  brilliance. 

Other  exponents  of  the  French  style  were  two  pupils 
of  Wille — J.  F.  Bause,  whose  work  will  be  particu- 
larly prized  by  collectors  of  portraits,  and  J.  G. 
Miiller.  The  latter's  son,  Friedrich  Wilhelm,  is  best 
known  by  his  "  Sistine  Madonna,"  after  Raphael.  It 
is  said  that  the  publisher  who  had  commissioned  it 
refused  it  when  finished  because  the  too  delicately 


86  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

cut  lines  would  not  yield  him  a  sufficient  number  of 
impressions.  The  lines  had  to  be  deepened,  and  when 
the  arduous  task  was  finished  the  engraver  became 
insane  and  died  on  the  day  the  first  proof  was  printed. 
The  engraving,  though  harmonious  and  effective, 
shows  us  not  so  much  the  spirit  of  Raphael  as  that 
of  Miiller,  influenced  by  his  time.  It  is  again  the  story 
of  conventional  line-work,  of  classical  traditions  built 
up  into  a  system. 

In  this  whole  matter  of  considering  the  functions  of 
line  engraving  as  illustrated  in  its  development,  it  is 
not  so  easy  to  be  consistent  or  coherent.  One  is 
naturally  influenced  by  what  is  before  one  at  a  given 
time.  If  you  are  carefully  studying  the  earliest  Italian 
work  you  may  get  to  regard  it  so  lovingly  that  you 
share  Ruskin's  enthusiasm.  On  the  other  hand — but 
still  keeping  in  mind  only  the  best  work  of  any  kind 
— if  you  are  familiarizing  yourself  with  the  delicate 
work  of  such  plates  as  those  in  Rogers'  "  Italy  "  or  the 
little  "  Verona  "  by  W.  Miller,  after  Turner,  you  will 
admire  and  appreciate  the  artistic  and  reserved  em- 
ployment of  the  richest  resources,  the  utmost  finish  of 
which  the  burin  is  capable.  Each  in  its  time.  Art 
is,  after  all,  an  expression  of  the  period.  It  lies  with 
us  to  accept  that  expression  in  its  noblest  form. 

With  the  introduction  of  steel  plates,  about  1820, 
and  steel  facing,  the  art  increased  in  popularity. 
For  several  decades  it  was  extensively  used  for  illus- 
trating, often  in  a  combination  of  line  and  stipple. 
There  were  "Byron  Beauties"  (1836),  "  Waverley 
Gallery"  (1840)  and  similar  collections  prepared 
under  the  superintendence  of  Heath,  or  Finden,  or 


LINE  ENGRAVING  87 

some  other  noted  engraver  of  the  day  (for  co- 
operative effort  naturally  arose  to  supply  increased 
demand,  just  as  it  flourished  centuries  before  in  the 
studios  of  painters  whose  pupils  aided  them  in  their 
work,  or  in  large  wood-engraving  establishments). 
There  were  "  annuals  "  galore,  with  frontispieces  rep- 
resenting the  pretty,  insipid,  long-curled  beauties  so 
admired  in  those  days.  There  were  gift-books,  "  an 
elegant  accession  to  the  drawing-room  table,"  as  one 
advertisement  puts  it.  Even  Greenwood  and  Auburn 
cemeteries  were  each  pictured  in  a  sumptuous  volume ! 

The  general  run  of  this  work,  smooth,  nice, 
"  highly  finished,"  says  the  title  of  "  Gems  of  Beauty," 
elementary  in  its  expression  of  obvious  sentiment,  was 
an  embodiment  of  mere  and  undiluted  craftsmanship. 
Commercialism  and  the  desire  for  cheaper  and  more 
rapid  methods  naturally  favored  this  attitude,  and 
we  find  an  immense  amount  of  dull  work  as  the  legacy 
of  the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

But  it  was  not  a  period  of  entirely  unillumined 
sterility.  The  large  "  framing-prints  "  after  story- 
telling pictures  by  Landseer,  Wilkie  and  others  were 
often  very  well  done,  and  in  such  cases  had  the  same 
justification  as  the  originals  which  they  reproduced. 
Moreover,  they  tended  to  spread  a  taste  for  good 
pictures.  They  must  have  done  that  by  the  very 
force  of  comparison,  for  there  was  in  those  times  so 
much  execrable  telling  of  stories  by  third-rate  de- 
signers and  fourth-rate  engravers  that  one  turns  with 
relief  to  these  adequate  representations  of  stories  well 
told  by  painters  who  had  the  ability  to  do  it.  On  the 
principle  of  getting  the  best  of  whatever  you  like, 


88  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

it  was  certainly  a  good  thing  to  have  these  able  en- 
gravers aid  in  accustoming  the  public  to  see  and  appre- 
ciate the  story-telling  picture,  the  genre-piece  at  its 
best. 

Let  me  say,  parenthetically,  that  one  need  not  quar- 
rel with  tastes.  It  is  not  so  much  a  question  whether 
certain  modern  artists  and  critics  are  right  in  deny- 
ing the  highest  place  to  pictures  which  have  the  lit- 
erary interest.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  one  is  apt  to  choose 
the  golden  mean,  for  the  heart  will  yearn  for  that 
touch  of  human  sympathy  which  the  sort  of  picture 
which  we  are  now  considering  offers  in  an  obvious  and 
easily  grasped  form. 

The  question,  however,  which  each  one  should  put 
to  himself  is  rather:  what  is  my  attitude  toward  this 
art?  Is  it  that  of  the  amused  spectator  who  laughs 
at  the  joke  in  the  picture  and  passes  on  ?  Or  who  sheds 
the  metaphorical  tear  over  the  sad  sentiment  or  thrills 
with  the  dramatic  action  of  the  tale  unfolded  by  the 
artist?  Is  the  point  of  the  story  all  I  look  at  and 
does  the  art  mean  nothing  to  me?  Do  I  pay  any  atten- 
tion to  the  manner  in  which  the  story  is  told,  beyond 
noting,  in  passing,  that  the  painter  has  properly 
crossed  his  t's  and  dotted  his  i's,  making  a  clean  job 
so  that  I  will  not  have  to  strain  my  imagination? 
Does  the  engraver's  art  mean  so  little  to  me  that  I 
will  not  take  offense  at  a  mechanically  executed  and 
muddily  printed  engraving,  so  long  as  the  point  of  the 
joke,  or  the  romance,  or  the  homily  be  preserved? 

The  inference  is  obvious.  Enjoyment  of  a  delight- 
ful bit  of  humor  in  Moliere,  or  Cervantes,  or  Shake- 
speare is  different  in  degree  from  that  which  pro- 


LINE  ENGRAVING  89 

duces  the  unthinking  guffaw  at  sight  of  the  antics  of 
a  horse-play  comedian  or  a  green-whiskered  stage 
libel  on  the  Irishman.  In  other  words,  prints  should 
be  enjoyed  understandingly.  That  will  not  lessen  your 
enjoyment;  it  will  simply  make  it  more  keen.  Enjoy- 
ing art  in  such  a  spirit  is  to  make  emotions  and  thought 
go  hand  in  hand.  And  in  that  process,  inferior  art 
will  recede  from  estimation,  which  will  quite  inevita- 
bly hold  on  to  that  which  is  good. 

There  is  plenty  more  good  line  engraving  worthy 
of  attention  in  the  period  of  the  last  century  which  we 
have  been  considering.  Much  of  it  is  described  in 
Vol.  II.  (1891)  of  the  four-volume  folio  work  on 
"  Contemporary  Graphic  Art,"  published  by  the 
Gesellschaft  fur  vervielfaltigende  Kunst  of  Vienna, 
unfortunately,  for  English  readers,  in  German,  but 
well  illustrated.  In  fact,  I  know  of  no  other  book  that 
covers  the  same  ground  as  this.  It  gives  a  remarkably 
interesting  review — even  if  you  look  at  the  illustra- 
tions only — of  the  best  that  European  line  engraving 
has  produced  in  the  nineteenth  century.  Even  in  that 
limited  period,  there  were  not  only  a  number  of  artists 
who  rose  decidedly  above  the  plane  of  mere  crafts- 
manship to  which,  as  we  have  seen,  there  was  a 
natural  tendency,  but  there  was  great  variety  in  the 
use  of  technical  means,  a  variety  due  to  the  manner  of 
the  individual  engravers,  as  well  as  to  adaptation 
of  means  to  the  particular  work  that  was  being 
reproduced. 

Remarkable  softness  of  effect  was  achieved  by  some 
of  these  modern  engravers,  tones  that  almost  subdue 
the  coldness  of  material  and  method.  There  should 


90  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

be  mentioned  Ch.  Bellay,  A.  Boucher-Desrioyers,  en- 
graver of  the  noted  picture  of  "  Napoleon  in  His 
Coronation  Robes "  and  "  Belisarius,"  both  after 
Gerard,  A.  Didier,  Calamatta,  A.  Blanchard,  Henri- 
quel-Dupont,  identified  with  the  Societe  Franfaise  de 
Gravure,  which  issued  one  hundred  plates  in  pursuance 
of  its  mission  to  revive  the  fine  art  of  line  engraving, 
F.  Gaillard,  Jules  Jacques,  Ed.  Biichel,  G.  Eilers,  O. 
Seidel  and  Ed.  Mandel,  who  once  asserted  that  when 
he  died  there  would  be  no  more  engravers.  And  in 
England,  G.  T.  Doo,  or  the  engravers  who  did  the 
plates  after  Turner  in  the  latter's  "  Southern  Coast," 
George  Cooke,  Horsburgh  and  William  Miller,  who 
showed  such  masterly  delicacy  in  the  sky  of  "  Ports- 
mouth "  and  "  Clovelly  Bay."  Such  work,  with  its 
refinement  of  line  and  insistence  on  tone,  verifies  the 
statement  that  "  tone  line  engraving  of  landscape  is 
an  achievement  of  the  nineteenth  century." 

In  the  United  States,  beside  much  inferior  por- 
traiture finding  its  lowest  level  of  smug  neatness  in 
certain  local  histories  or  similar  subscription  books, 
products  of  the  vanity  and  the  pocketbooks  of  those 
depicted,  there  is  also  much  to  be  contemplated  with  a 
pleasing  degree  of  satisfaction.  Bank-note  engraving 
became  highly  developed,  and  in  its  service  were  en- 
listed some  of  the  most  able  men,  particularly  Asher  B. 
Durand,  successively  engraver,  portrait  painter  and 
a  noteworthy  figure  among  our  earlier  landscape 
artists;  also  James  Smillie,  among  whose  plates  are 
the  large  ones  of  Cole's  "  Voyage  of  Life  "  series. 
They  did  many  fine  plates,  portraits  and  landscapes. 
R.  Hinshelwood,  Alfred  Jones,  Charles  Burt  and 


LINE  ENGRAVING  91 

others  hold  honorable  rank.  Some  of  them  had  to  do 
pot-boilers  in  numbers.  They,  too,  produced  large 
framing  prints  similar  to  the  English  "  story-telling  " 
pictures,  such  as  "  Lady  Washington's  Reception 
Day,"  by  Huntington,  or  "  On  the  March  to  the  Sea," 
by  Darley,  both  engraved  by  A.  H.  Ritchie ;  "  Bargain- 
ing for  a  Horse,"  by  Burt  after  Mount;  or  those  pub- 
lished by  the  Art  Union,  such  as  R.  C.  Woodville's 
"  News  from  Mexico,"  by  Alfred  Jones.1 

All  the  preceding  historical  notes  deal  mainly  with 
general  tendencies  and  cite  only  some  salient  indi- 
vidual examples.  But  the  facts  given  make  clear  the 
point  intended,  that  the  historical  development  of  line 
engraving  is  as  varied  in  its  phases  as  is  the  pleasure 
which  can  be  derived  from  the  study  of  it,  a  pleasure 
rich  in  possibilities  of  viewpoint  and  specialties.  There 
is  the  delight  that  is  offered  by  the  review  of  the 
progress  in  technical  excellence,  as  well  as  of  the 
change  in  artistic  tendencies,  in  dominating  movements 
that  mark  various  art  epochs. 

Despite  the  limitations  which  the  handling  of  the 
burin  imposes,  the  variety  in  the  manner  in  which  it  is 
used  is  remarkably  great.  Consider  even  the  mat- 
ter of  cross-hatching  and  no  cross-hatching.  What 
a  difference  there  is,  for  example,  between  the  straight, 
uncrossed  lines  of  Mantegna  and  the  similar  lines  of 
Claude  Mellan,  who  lived  a  century  and  a  half  later, 
a  difference  in  temperament,  in  national  feeling,  in 
point  of  view,  in  artistic  language.  There  is  the 
intense  human  interest  that  lies  in  the  depth  of  na- 
tional expression  which  marks  plates  such  as  those 
done  by  Durer,  or  the  "  little  masters  "  in  Germany, 

1  For  details,  see  "American  Graphic  Art"  (1912),  by  the  present  writer. 


92  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

or  Cornelius  Visscher  and  other  Dutchmen,  or  those 
after  Moreau  le  jeune  in  France,  or  Hogarth's  moral- 
izing series  in  England.  And  there  is  the  satisfaction 
of  contemplating  the  works  of  great  masters  in  paint- 
ing as  interpreted  by  masters  of  the  burin,  perhaps 
even  rescued  from  oblivion  in  cases  where  the  original 
painting  has  either  been  destroyed  or  has  faded  away 
into  a  ghost  of  its  former  self,  as  has  Leonardo  da 
Vinci's  "  Last  Supper." 

And  from  these  general  aspects,  one  can  branch  out 
into  specialties  galore.  For  him  who  is  attracted  by 
the  charm  of  the  portrait,  the  field  is  large,  extend- 
ing from  Durer's  "  Melanchthon "  to  fairly  recent 
work,  such  as  Gaillard's  "  Man  with  the  Pink,"  after 
Van  Eyck,  and  showing,  in  national  and  personal 
characteristics  of  both  subject  and  artist,  the  serious- 
ness of  the  sixteenth-century  German,  the  brilliance 
of  the  Frenchman  of  the  time  of  Louis  XIV.,  the  sun 
king,  the  solid  qualities  of  the  Englishman  or  the 
young  energy  of  the  American  of  the  early  nineteenth 
century. 

Or  perhaps  the  collector  is  attracted  by  the  pioneer 
efforts  of  our  earliest  American  engravers.  Paul 
Revere,  he  of  the  famous  ride,  silversmith,  and  en- 
graver of  a  view  of  the  Boston  Massacre ;  Amos  Doo- 
little,  known  especially  by  his  four  roughly  executed 
views  of  the  Battle  of  Lexington,  or,  later,  the 
Mavericks  and  others,  all  set  down  in  D.  McN. 
Stauffer's  two  valuable  volumes  on  American  en- 
gravers, published  in  1907  by  the  Grolier  Club. 

Similarly,  historical  pieces,  famous  paintings  and 
other  special  topics  offer  themselves.  And  if  one 


LINE  EN GR AV 'ING  93 

studies  or  collects  in  the  spirit  of  the  student  of 
engraving  per  se,  irrespective  of  subject,  one  may  be 
eclectic  and  choose  the  best  by  different  artists,  of 
diverse  styles,  in  various  lands.  Or  one  may  find 
special  delight  in  definite  schools,  the  German,  Dutch 
or  French,  not  necessarily  admiring  all,  but  making 
free  and  wise  choice  of  the  best  and  representative 
pieces. 

In  passing  through  this  garden  of  delightful  pleas- 
ures, the  flowers  of  dazzling  beauty  should  not  be  per- 
mitted to  blind  the  eyes  altogether  to  their  modest 
sisters,  putting  forth  their  little  blossoms  in  timid 
seclusion,  with  but  a  modicum  of  beauty  to  contribute 
to  the  general  glory,  and  disclosing  that  only  to  the 
very  observant.  To  stray  from  the  highways  into  the 
little  alleys  and  by-ways  may  mean  to  discover  unex- 
pected delights,  manifestations  of  unobtrusive  artistic 
personality,  not  strong,  perhaps,  but  attractive  at  least. 

The  work  of  the  small  talent  is  justified  and  has  its 
attraction,  so  long  as  it  is  done  with  thought  and 
honest  feeling  and  with  individuality.  It  is  the  per- 
sonal note  that  counts,  not  the  acquired  manner.  Just 
as  in  life. 

All  that  is  required  of  the  student  is  the  will- 
ingness to  stand  in  the  attitude  of  others,  to  learn  of 
and  sympathize  with  the  life  and  thought  and  views  of 
people  of  other  times  or  of  foreign  lands,  and  to 
strive  to  understand  the  personal  standpoint  and  ex- 
pression of  the  individual  artist.  For  this  last  ele- 
ment is  after  all  the  main  factor  in  our  enjoyment 
of  the  best  art  of  any  kind. 


CHAPTER  IV 
MEZZOTINTS 

MEZZOTINT  is  as  different  as  possible  from  the 
media  which  we  have  been  considering.  In  pure 
mezzotint,  there  are  no  lines.  Instead,  soft  outlines 
unbounded  by  lines,  masses  of  light  and  shade.  The 
difference  is  one  not  only  of  effect,  but  of  means.  In 
both  wood  engraving  and  line  engraving  on  copper, 
the  engraver  works  from  light  to  dark,  puts  in  lines 
to  produce  various  degrees  of  shadow,  various  sug- 
gestions of  local  color  or  of  texture,  and  leaves  the 
plate  untouched  where  he  wants  the  high  lights  to 
appear. 

The  mezzotinter,  on  the  other  hand,  works  from 
dark  to  light.  He  scrapes  out  all  the  gradations  from 
the  highest  light  to  the  deepest  shadow  from  a  surface 
that  would  print  black. 

To  prepare  a  copper-plate  for  mezzotinting,  it  is 
^irst  worked  over  with  an  instrument  known  as  a 
'*  rocker,"  or  "  cradle,"  something  like  a  chisel  or 
small  spade  with  a  rounded  toothed  edge.  This  instru- 
ment is  rocked  completely  over  the  plate  in  all  direc- 
tions, about  eighty  times  in  all.  By  that  time  the  lines 
of  dots  crossing  and  re-crossing  each  other  have  pro- 
duced innumerable  minute  hollows  separated  by  thin 
walls  of  metal,  like  the  burr  raised  by  the  dry-point 

94 


MEZZOTINTS  95 

process  described  in  the  chapter  on  etching.  If  the 
plate,  thus  evenly  roughened,  were  inked  and  printed 
from,  the  paper  would  show  a  uniform  tint  of  deep, 
velvety  black,  similar  to  the  effect  produced  by  heavy 
dry-point  work  in  which  none  of  the  burr  has  been 
removed  by  the  scraper.  Hence  the  French  name  of 
the  art  of  mezzotinting,  la  maniere  noire  (the  black 
manner).  Upon  the  plate  thus  "  rocked  "  the  design 
is  now  traced,  and  the  engraver  then  goes  over  it  with 
the  scraper,  removing  both  hollows  and  burrs  alto- 
gether for  the  very  highest  lights,  and  less  and  less 
for  the  successive  stages  between  the  highest  lights 
and  the  darkest  blacks,  for  which  latter  the  plate  is 
left  untouched.  /The  German  name  for  the  art, 
Schabkunst,  "  scraping  art,"  is  therefore  character- 
istically descriptive.  The  inking  of  a  mezzotint  plate 
is  a  difficult  operation,  for  it  takes  judgment  and  expe- 
rience to  know  how  much  ink  to  leave  when  "  wiping 
out."  Inks  of  various  shades  of  dark  brown  have 
often  been  used,  giving  a  warmer  and  more  effective 
tone  than  pure  black. 

When  completed  and  inked,  the  plate  is  printed  on  a 
copper-plate  press.  In  an  impression  from  such  a 
plate,  the  highest  lights,  where  the  plate  has  been  com- 
pletely scraped  and  perhaps  burnished,  so  as  to  hold 
little  or  no  ink,  are  represented  by  almost  white  paper. 
Then  the  gradations  of  shadow  from  the  most  delicate 
to  the  very  darkest  appear  in  a  gradually  darkening 
grain  which  in  its  lighter  stages  more  or  less  plainly 
shows  the  marks  of  the  rocking-tool,  and  shows  also 
that  this  tool  was  used  with  some  individuality  by 
various  engravers  to  suit  their  style  as  well  as  the 


96  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

particular  subject  in  hand.  So  that  the  style  is  in 
evidence,  both  in  the  rocking  and  the  scraping,  despite 
the  apparent  sameness  of  mezzotints. 

The  want  of  line  in  pure  mezzotint  causes  a  soft- 
ness, an  indefiniteness,  a  lack  of  precision  and  decision, 
that  led  to  the  occasional  employment  of  some  etched 
lines  to  supply  energy.  This  was  done  at  a  fairly 
early  date,  but  with  such  restraint  as  to  be  often  no- 
ticeable only  after  very  close  inspection.  It  can  be  seen 
best  in  late  impressions.  I  have  before  me  as  I  write 
pale  prints  of  C.  Spooner's  "  John  Manners,  Marquis 
of  Granby"  (1760)  and  R.  Houston's  "William 
Kingsley  "  (1760),  after  Reynolds.  The  worn  plates 
have  yielded  only  a  pale,  grayish  tone,  from  which 
the  etched  lines  in  the  pupils  of  the  eyes  and  around 
the  nose  and  mouth  stand  out  quite  clearly. 

George  White  has  been  called  the  first  to  study  care- 
fully the  possibilities  of  a  combination  of  etching  and 
mezzotint,  he  etching  the  subject  until  nearly  com- 
plete, and  then  adding  tones  with  rocker  or  roulette. 
The  roulette  is  a  small  wheel,  with  fine  teeth,  like  a 
spur  rowel,  set  on  the  end  of  a  handle.  When  this 
is  run  over  the  copper,  it  produces  lines  of  minute 
hollows,  which,  of  course,  print  as  dots.  The  roulette 
is  used  to  strengthen  shadows,  and  has  been  combined 
for  that  purpose  with  etching  as  well  as  with  mezzo- 
tint. The  mezzotint  portrait  of  Lawrence,  from  a 
painting  by  himself,  done  by  Samuel  Cousins  in  1838, 
shows  very  heavy  rouletting  on  the  coat. 

In  the  nineteenth  century  there  was  developed  the 
"  mixed  "  style,  in  which  etching,  roulette,  stipple  and 
burin  work  were  all  added,  sometimes  in  considera- 


MEZZOTINTS  97 

ble  proportions,  to  give  strength.  But  the  charm  of 
mezzotint  was  lost  in  the  operation,  and  such  a  com- 
bination was  generally  sparingly  used  by  the  best  men 
and  in  the  best  work. 

The  art  underwent  a  great  change  in  the  course  of 
its  development.  There  is  a  great  difference  between 
the  earliest  known  mezzotint — Ludwig  von  Siegen's 
portrait  of  the  Landgravine  Amelia  of  Hesse — and 
the  plates  produced  in  the  golden  age  of  the  art  in 
England,  in  the  second  half  of  the  eighteenth  century. 
Siegen,  who  was  the  inventor  of  the  art,  seems  to 
have  roughened  only  parts  of  the  plate,  putting  in  his 
shadows  in  this  way  from  the  start,  so  that  he  had  less 
scraping  than  if  he  had  rocked  the  entire  plate.  In 
fact,  it  has  been  said  that  his  plates  were  done  almost 
entirely  with  the  roulette,  with  a  background  of  cross- 
hatched  burin  lines,  as  in  the  portrait  of  William, 
Prince  of  Orange. 

About  a  dozen  years  after  its  discovery,  the  art  be- 
came known  to  Prince  Rupert  (who  did  a  vigorous 
"  Executioner "  after  Spagnoletto)  and  to  Theodor 
Caspar  von  Fiirstenberg.  Prince  Rupert  introduced  it 
into  the  Low  Countries,  where  Wallerant  Vaillant, 
Abraham  Blooteling,  Cornelius  Dusart  and  others  sub- 
sequently practiced  it.  This  early  work  is  rather  dark, 
and  lacks  gradation;  but  Blooteling  produced  a  cer- 
tain heavy  richness  in  his  best  work,  such  as  the  strik- 
ing and  vigorous  portraits  of  the  Duke  of  Monmouth 
and  Catharine  of  Braganza,  Queen  of  Charles  II., 
after  Lely  (1680). 

The  records  of  this  art  in  Germany  embrace  the 
names  of  a  few  noteworthy  men,  such  as  J.  E.  Haid 


98  HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

(who  scraped  a  portrait  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  among 
others),  Georg  Philipp  Rugendas  and  particularly 
J.  Pichler.  The  latter  did  a  "  Magdalen  "  and  a  "  St. 
John,"  both  after  Battoni,  but  one  of  his  best-known 
plates  is  that  of  the  "  Sons  of  Rubens,"  after  that 
painter,  not  so  delicate  as  the  work  of  the  English 
masters,  a  little  heavier  in  treatment,  but  a  good  piece 
of  work  withal,  luminous  and  effective  if  seen  in  a 
good  impression. 

While  all  this  work,  though  generally  not  of  the 
highest  importance,  is  of  interest,  and  may  eventually 
lead  to  excursions  down  fascinating  or  amusing  by- 
paths, it  may  be  put  aside  with  this  short  reference  to 
it,  so  that  we  may  get  to  the  country  which  is  so 
intimately  identified  with  the  rise  and  most  brilliant 
exposition  of  the  art,  England.  Introduced  there  by 
Prince  Rupert,  it  was  first  developed  by  foreign  artists 
who  had  emigrated  from  Holland  and  Flanders, 
Blooteling,  P.  van  Somer  and  others.  Then,  towards 
the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century,  native-born  artists 
adopted  it,  notably  William  Sherwin,  Isaac  Beckett, 
Robert  Williams,  Wm.  Faithorne,1  John  Simon,  the 
Fabers  and  John  Smith.  Many  of  the  engravings  by 
these  men,  though  decidedly  creditable,  are  prized 
more  particularly  as  likenesses  of  noted  personages, 
sometimes  as  the  only  known  portraits  of  the  persons 
delineated. 

To  John  Smith  much  of  the  great  advance  in  the 
art  was  due.  The  rocking  became  more  careful,  and 
there  was  a  tendency  to  richer  tones,  more  delicate 
detail,  more  skillful  rendering  of  textures.  But  it  was 
not  yet  a  full  development;  a  promise  rather  than  a 

1  The  Younger. 


MEZZOTINTS  99 

fulfillment.  There  is  sometimes  a  certain  clumsiness 
in  the  vigor  shown,  a  want  of  subtlety  and  suavity  in 
the  gradations.  It  is  as  though  the  arts  of  portraiture 
in  oil  and  of  mezzotint  went  forward  hand  in  hand  to 
a  certain  extent.  The  stiffness  of  Kneller  and  Lely 
seems  reflected  in  the  very  handling  of  the  early  mez- 
zotinters.  But  they  soon  learned  to  render  a  white 
satin  gown  with  good  effect,  for  mezzotint  is  well 
adapted  to  the  imitation  of  certain  textures,  particu- 
larly hair  and  textile  stuffs. 

With  the  rise  of  the  brilliant  group  of  portraitists 
that  included  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  Thomas  Gains- 
borough, George  Romney,  John  Hoppner,  Sir  Thomas 
Lawrence  and  our  own  Gilbert  Stuart,  there  came  into 
the  art  of  the  mezzotinter  an  increase  of  refinement,  of 
engaging  grace,  of  flexibility,  of  freedom,  of  breadth, 
in  short  a  more  perfect  control  of  the  resources  of 
the  art. 

It  is  highly  interesting,  in  studying  these  mezzo- 
tints, to  find  an  art  which  has  been  characterized  as 
lacking  in  precision,  and  consequently  greatly  limited, 
affording  such  scope  for  the  display  of  individual  style, 
of  personal  expression,  and  this  despite  the  fact  that 
mezzotinting  has  been  so  essentially  a  reproductive 
art.  I  have  heard  the  question  put  more  than  once  by 
those  who  had  studied  mezzotints  well :  "  Now,  do 
these  absolutely  render  the  original  paintings  ?  "  And 
the  questioners  themselves  replied  with  gentle  doubt. 
More  than  that,  it  has  been  asserted  that  in  some  cases 
the  mezzotint  was  better  than  the  original  painting. 
Perhaps  the  engraver  did  at  times  show  a  personality 
that  was  not  the  painter's.  But  one  feels  that  the 


ioo         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

spirit  of  the  painter  is  there.  And  in  the  plates  of 
so  adaptative  an  engraver  as  J.  R.  Smith  the  styles 
of  the  various  painters  appear  to  be  well  accentuated. 
It  is  significant,  too,  that  in  some  cases  the  painters 
corrected  the  proofs.  Lawrence  did  it  with  thorough- 
ness, having  been  known  to  return  a  dozen  successive 
corrected  proofs  of  one  plate  to  Samuel  Cousins.  And 
Reynolds  formed  a  collection  of  proofs  after  his  paint- 
ings. It  is  said  that  on  a  proof  by  himself  after 
Hoppner,  in  the  British  Museum,  J.  Ward  has  noted 
that  a  suggested  alteration  in  the  print  was  not  only 
not  carried  out,  but  the  picture  was  actually  repainted 
so  as  to  "  accord  to  the  engraver's  rendering."  How 
much  of  this  story  is  to  be  set  down  as  an  expression 
of  Ward's  well-known  high  opinion  of  his  merits, 
it  is  perhaps  not  easy  to  tell,  but  Hoppner  apparently 
did  set  a  high  value  on  his  mezzotinting. 

So  in  some  instances,  at  least,  we  have  proof  of  the 
painter's  satisfaction  with  the  engraver's  work,  a  sat- 
isfaction voiced  by  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  when  he  as- 
serted that  the  mezzotints  of  McArdell  and  others 
would  immortalize  him.  And  if  we  find  them  to 
be  very  often  free  translations,  we  may  be  thank- 
ful that  in  this  brilliant  period  of  the  art  there 
was  much  individuality  shown,  and  not  merely  dull 
craftsmanship. 

There  is  great  diversity  of  method  and  expression. 
And  it  is  this  method  on  which  stress  is  laid  here, 
rather  than  on  biographical  details,  which  you  may 
get  in  Alfred  Whitman's  "  The  Masters  of  Mezzo- 
tint," in  Cyril  Davenport's  "Mezzotints"  (1903), 
both  well  illustrated,  or  in  J.  Chaloner  Smith's  monu- 


MEZZOTINTS  101 

mental  "British  Mezzotint  Portraits"  (1883),  to- 
gether with  the  books  devoted  to  individual  engravers, 
such  as  those  on  McArdell  or  Green,  or  the  two  sump- 
tuously illustrated  volumes  by  Julia  Frankau  on  John 
Raphael  Smith  and  the  Wards. 

As  I  pass  in  mental  review  the  many  fine  mezzo- 
tints that  have  in  recent  years  been  exhibited,  the 
characteristics  of  each  one  of  those  whose  names  are 
linked  with  the  history  of  the  art  in  this  period  of  its 
most  brilliant  manifestation  stand  out  from  the  soft- 
ness and  suavity  of  the  mezzotint  ground. 

There  is  that  group  of  talented  Irishmen  who  take 
high  rank  among  those  who  brought  the  art  to  so 
advanced  a  degree  of  perfection,  McArdell,  Houston, 
Fisher  and  Dixon. 

McArdell  was  both  brilliantly  vigorous  and  finely 
delicate.  There  is  distinction  of  style,  rich  color  and 
vivacity  of  facial  expression  in  his  plates  after  Reyn- 
olds, Van  Dyck  and  others.  His  skill  in  rendering 
textures  is  exemplified  in  Van  Dyck's  "  Lords  John 
and  Bernard  Stuart,"  Hudson's  "  Mary,  Duchess  of 
Ancaster  "  (note  the  fine  satin  gown)  or  "  Griselda, 
Countess  Stanhope  "  after  Ramsay ;  yet  it  is  not  made 
conspicuous  on  its  own  account,  but  takes  its  proper 
place  in  the  general  effect.  "  Catherine  Chambers," 
showing  reflected  light  on  the  face  under  the  broad- 
brimmed  hat ;  "  Edward  Boscawen,"  and  "  Lady  Ann 
Dawson,"  rich  in  color,  are  among  the  nearly  forty 
plates  which  he  engraved  from  paintings  by  Reynolds, 
who  had  so  high  an  opinion  of  his  work. 

Richard  Houston,  "  the  first  mezzotinter  who  real- 
ized that  a  scraper  could  be  used  to  give  the  effect  of 


102         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

a  brush,"  became  intemperate,  was  long  in  Fleet 
Prison  and  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  printers,  Sayer 
and  others.  His  plates  vary  in  quality.  Purcell, 
who  signed  much  of  his  work  "  Corbutt,"  had  a  like 
fate. 

Edward  Fisher  was  once  criticised  by  Reynolds 
as  "  injudiciously  exact,"  but  he  could  work  with  high 
finish,  as  in  the  costume  of  Lady  Elizabeth  Keppel,  or 
with  vigorous  breadth,  as  in  "  Garrick  between  Trag- 
edy and  Comedy."  He  engraved  the  familiar  Cham- 
berlin  portrait  of  Franklin  with  his  electrical  instru- 
ments. John  Dixon,  too,  could  be  "  delicate  and  re- 
fined, or  bold  and  strong,  as  the  subject  required." 
His  "  Misses  Emma  and  Elizabeth  Crewe,"  after 
Reynolds,  has  been  much  admired. 

One  finds  plenty  of  instances  to  illustrate  variety 
of  style  and  expression  by  the  emphasis  of  contrasts. 

John  Jones  is  well  represented  in  the  two  portraits 
of  Miss  Frances  Kemble  in  a  white  and  a  black  dress, 
respectively,  after  Reynolds.  His  work  at  times  is 
lacking  in  textures,  and  sometimes  has  an  unfinished 
effect  which  resolves  itself  into  dash  in  his  portrait  of 
Caleb  Whitefoord,  one  of  his  many  portraits  of  men. 
Robert  Dnnkarton,  on  the  other  hand,  has  more  finish, 
but  does  not  give  the  same  feeling  of  strength. 

William  Dickinson,  again,  is  indeed  vigorous,  yet, 
while  not  finicky,  gives  the  impression  of  having  said 
enough.  "  His  use  of  the  scraper  is  particularly  bril- 
liant," says  one  authority,  "  showing  well  the  brush- 
marks  of  the  original."  His  "  Lady  Charles  Spencer," 
after  Reynolds,  is  rich  and  fine  in  textures.  Thomas 
Watson  shows  strength  in  portraits,  such  as  that  of 


MEZZOTINTS  103 

Warren  Hastings,  and  no  saccharine  sweetness  in  his 
portraits  of  women ;  among-  these  one  should  see  "Mrs. 
Crowe  as  St.  Genevieve,"  both  strong  and  delicate, 
and  the  famous  "  Lady  Bamfylde "  after  Reynolds. 
James  Watson  is  softer,  more  delicate,  but  not  so 
strong,  perhaps.  Chaloner  Smith  tells  us  that,  when 
not  satisfied  with  a  plate,  he  would  do  an  entirely  new 
one  instead  of  retouching  and  altering  it,  "  as  would 
be  done  by  a  less  scrupulous  artist." 

John  Dean's  work  is  so  exquisitely  delicate  "  that 
to  a  casual  observer  his  prints  appear  weak  and  color- 
less " ;  but  he  shows  richness  to  the  observant  eye — in 
Reynolds's  "  Mercury,"  for  instance — and  fine  trans- 
lucent shadows,  as  on  the  dress  in  "  Lady  Elizabeth 
Herbert  and  Son."  "Lady  Kent,"  after  Reynolds, 
is  a  good  example  of  his  style.  William  Doughty  laid 
a  somewhat  coarse  ground,  so  that  his  flesh-tints  have 
a  granular  effect.  Doughty's  vigor  is  shown  in  the 
famous  portrait  of  Dr.  Johnson.  Dean  was  a  pupil 
of  Valentine  Green,  whose  work  was  refined  rather 
than  brilliant,  and  whose  delicacy  of  treatment  and 
luminous  effect  are  well  exemplified  in  his  portraits, 
after  Reynolds,  of  "  Lady  Elizabeth  Compton,"  of 
"  Lady  Henrietta  Herbert,"  of  "  Mary  Isabella, 
Duchess  of  Rutland,"  tall  and  stately,  with  stature 
increased  by  high  head-dress,  and  of  "The  Three 
Ladies  Waldegrave."  He,  too,  could  render  textures 
without  undue  finish,  as  in  the  cap  in  his  "  Lady  Caro- 
line Howard " ;  and,  in  his  "  Family  of  Joseph 
Wright,"  the  flesh  modeling  is  a  pleasing  feature. 

John  Raphael  Smith  was  one  of  the  most  brilliant, 
versatile  and  able  of  them  all,  unexcelled  in  variety 


104         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

of  treatment.  His  "  Mrs.  Carnac,"  after  Reynolds,  is 
indeed  "  a  wonderful  example  of  refined  mezzotint- 
ing " ;  "  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Montagu  "  has  detail  without 
undue  finish;  "  J.  P.  Curran,"  after  Lawrence,  is  bold 
and  broad ;  "  Louisa,  Lady  Stormont "  shows  some- 
thing of  the  refined  manner  of  Green,  and  "  Miss  Cum- 
berland "  some  of  the  dash  of  Jones.  It  has  been 
pointed  out  that  Smith  achieved  success  and  distinction 
whenever  he  limited  himself  to  reproducing  the  work 
of  another,  but  was  weak  where  he  played  both  de- 
signer and  engraver. 

Each  one,  then,  has  his  own  virtues  and  faults,  with 
his  own  personal  touch,  which  we  take  as  it  stands, 
and  which  forms  a  subtle  charm  that  has  its  share 
in  the  hold  which  the  art  has  on  us.  And  if,  after  all 
this  praise,  modified  though  it  is,  you  find  lapses  from 
the  highest  criteria  here  and  there,  do  not  forget  that 
an  artist,  too,  has  his  weak  moments,  and  his  weak 
side.  But  the  fault  is  not  always  wholly  the  en- 
graver's. Sometimes  a  detail  in  certain  of  these  fine 
plates  may  strike  you  as  really  too  bad,  perhaps  the 
wooden  birds  which  are  placed  in  the  hands  of  ladies 
in  several  instances.  We  must  not  necessarily  jump 
to  the  conclusion  that  in  such  cases  the  free  interpre- 
tation of  the  engraver  has  betrayed  him  into  taking 
unwarranted  liberties  with  the  painter's  work.  If  the 
amiable  infant  in  Reynolds's  "  Mrs.  Mackenzie  and 
Child,"  engraved  by  Grozer,  looks  a  little  like  a  French 
doll,  that  appearance  is  repeated  in  Jacquemart's  etch- 
ing after  the  same  painting.  So  that  either  the  painter 
was  a  little  conventional,  or  the  little  lady  really  looked 
like  a  fine,  plump  specimen  of  the  China  toy. 


JOHN  PHILPOT  CURRAN. 

Mezzotint  by  John  Raphael  Smith. 

After  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence. 


MEZZOTINTS  105 

The  art  of  mezzotint,  with  both  its  beauties  and  its 
faults,  is  of  the  style  of  the  time,  a  reflection  of  the 
attitude  of  its  day.  Its  development  was  coincident 
with,  and  furthered  by,  the  growth  of  a  national  school 
of  portraiture.  The  latter,  profiting  by  particularly 
favorable  social  conditions,  reflected  the  life  of  the 
time  in  individual  personal  instances  with  dignity 
and  distinction  as  well  as  grace.  And  this  charm  was 
preserved  with  an  original  energy,  a  creative  impulse, 
in  richness  of  tone  and  charm  of  style,  by  contem- 
porary mezzotinters.  Increased  possibilities  of  circu- 
lation make  the  print  a  messenger  of  art  where  the 
painting  cannot  go.  Many  of  us  have  enjoyed  these 
mezzotint  reproductions  of  paintings  which  we  have 
never  seen. 

These  British  mezzotints  are  an  absolute  outcome  of 
the  -art  and  life  of  the  time,  and  it  is  impossible  to 
consider  them  without  reference  to  that  life  and  that 
art.  They  cannot  be  dissociated  from  the  source  of 
their  being.  That  they  mirror  so  well  the  period  of 
British  history  of  which  they  form  part  is  one  reason 
why  they  are  prized  so  largely  for  the  sake  of  the 
subject.  They  preserve  not  only  the  works  of  the 
great  portrait  painters  of  the  day,  and  the  genre  sub- 
jects of  George  Morland  and  others,  but  also  the  can- 
vases of  lesser  lights  as  well,  some  of  them,  such  as 
Wright  of  Derby,  mainly  because  their  subjects  and 
treatment  offered  special  possibilities  for  a  display  of 
virtuosity  in  the  rendering  of  strong  effects  of  light 
and  shade.  Earlom's  "The  Forge"  (1773),  W. 
Pether's  "  Orrery  "  and  Green's  "  Philosopher  Show- 
ing an  Experiment  with  the  Air  Pump,"  all  three  after 


106         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

Joseph  Wright,  illustrate  this  specialty  of  craftsman- 
ship in  chiaroscuro. 

But  they  also  bring  before  us  a  brilliant  array 
of  British  individuals  and  types,  records  of  child- 
life,  interesting  sidelights  on  manners  and  cus- 
toms, fads  and  fashions  in  dress  and  sentiment  and 
opinion. 

What  a  gallery  of  great  people  is  displayed  to  our 
view!  The  pomp  and  dignity  of  royalty,  the  dis- 
tinction of  nobility,  the  vigor  and  strong  pose  of  mili- 
tary and  naval  achievement,  the  personal  expression 
of  literary  and  artistic  influence,  the  charm  of  beauty 
and  grace,  all  are  exemplified  in  these  portraits  of  the 
men  and  women  who  represent  the  social  and  political 
life  of  Britain  in  that  day.  Statesmen  and  artists, 
warriors  and  poets,  fine  ladies  and  actors,  stand  before 
us  in  counterfeit  presentiment,  all  helping  to  make 
more  vivid  to  us  those  days  of  ruffles  and  vigor, 
and  daintiness  and  beef,  of  affectation  and  sturdy 
sentiment. 

There  is  Samuel  Johnson,  his  great  mind  embodied 
in  gross  heaviness,  Laurence  Sterne,  bright-eyed  and 
smiling  cunningly,  and  Goldsmith — all  three  por- 
trayed by  Reynolds  and  perpetuated  in  mezzotints  by 
Doughty,  Fisher  and  Marchi  respectively.  Warren 
Hastings,  alert  and  serious,  presented  by  Reynolds 
and  T.  Watson;  George  Canning,  in  the  portrait  by 
Hoppner  engraved  by  John  Young;  Fox,  in  massive 
strength,  in  the  forcible  character  study  by  Reynolds 
again,  translated  by  Jones,  or  depicted  by  S.  W. 
Reynolds  after  Opie,  and  Edmund  Burke,  by  Romney, 
in  Jones's  simple  and  broad  engraving. 


MEZZOTINTS  107 

The  appearance  of  General  Robert  Monckton,  who 
was  with  Wolfe  at  Quebec,  is  shown  in  the  painting 
by  the  American  Quaker,  Benjamin  West,  mezzotinted 
by  James  Watson ;  also  that  of  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Tarleton,  distinguished  on  the  British  side  in  the 
American  Revolutionary  War,  in  the  brilliant,  dash- 
ing portrait  by  Reynolds,  reproduced  in  one  of  J.  R. 
Smith's  most  noted  mezzotints. 

Not  only  are  we  shown  persons  in  their  every-day 
aspect,  but  the  sitter  frequently  must  assume  a  special 
character  and  garb  for  the  occasion;  or  a  group  of 
personages  is  pictured  in  the  guise  of  a  genre  piece. 
So  we  get  family  groups  in  unconventional  por- 
traiture, children  in  action,  for  instance,  or  buying 
fruit  from  a  street  vendor,  as  in  H.  Walton's  "  The 
Fruit  Barrow"  (Walton  Family),  engraved  by  J.  R. 
Smith;  Hoppner's  "Children  bathing"  (Hoppner 
children)  and  "Juvenile  Retirement"  (Douglas  chil- 
dren), both  by  James  Ward,  the  first  one  marking 
the  height  of  his  achievement ;  "  Children  at  Play  " 
(Oddie  children),  by  Thomas  Park  after  Beechey; 
"  Boy  and  Lamb "  (said-  to  be  Master  Wynne  as 
St.  John)  by  Reynolds,  engraved  by  Dean;  and 
the  portrait  of  Lady  Catherine  Pelham  Clinton 
as  a  child,  feeding  chickens,  by  J.  R.  Smith,  after 
Reynolds. 

More  striking  is  the  tendency  to  show  individual 
sitters  in  characters  other  than  their  own.  They  pose, 
these  beauties  and  children  of  those  days,  as  goddesses 
and  nymphs,  as  allegorical  abstractions  and  literary 
figures,  as  "Cynthia,"  "Miranda"  or  "Hebe";  a 
custom,  by  the  way,  found  also  in  France,  where 


io8          HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

Pomonas  and  Ceres  and  Floras  and  Ariadnes  are 
found  in  the  portraiture  of  this  eighteenth  century. 
Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  has  many  of  these  fancy  por- 
traits to  his  credit.  He  painted  Elizabeth,  Duchess  of 
Manchester,  with  her  son  George,  Viscount  Mande- 
ville,  as  "  Diana  and  Cupid  "  (engraved  by  J.  Watson), 
and  a  good  bourgeois,  placid  Diana  she  made ;  "  Mas- 
ter Crewe,  as  Henry  VIII."  (by  John  Raphael  Smith), 
a  sturdy,  red-cheeked  little  fellow,  product  of  the 
"  roast  beef  of  old  England  ";  "  Francis,  Fifth  Duke 
of  Bedford"  (by  Fisher),  posing  as  St.  George,  to 
the  admiration  of  the  onlookers,  and  daintily  tickling 
the  dragon  behind  the  ears,  as  St.  George  does  the 
"  Reluctant  Dragon  "  in  Kenneth  Grahame's  "  Dream 
Days  " ;  Miss  Searle  as  "  The  Careful  Shepherdess  " 
(a  little  girl  with  a  lamb  in  her  arms,  by  Elizabeth 
Judkins)  ;  "  Lady  Sarah  Bunbury  Sacrificing  to  the 
Graces " ;  and  "  Hope  Nursing  Love,"  said  to  be 
Theophila  Palmer,  both  by  Fisher. 

The  fascinating  Lady  Hamilton  was  pictured  as 
"  Bacchante "  (a  well-conducted  one,  who  will  not 
offend  the  proprieties),  by  Reynolds  and  Smith,  and 
as  "  Nature,"  by  Henry  Meyer  after  Romney,  whom 
she  inspired,  and  who  painted  a  number  of  portraits 
of  her.  Romney  painted  also  that  picture,  familiar 
through  J.  R.  Smith's  plate,  of  Miss  Sneyd,  Major 
Andre's  fiancee,  as  "  Serena." 

It  is  interesting  and  at  times  amusing  to  see  these 
grandes  dames  posing  as  mythological  characters.  The 
masquerade  is  so  very  obvious,  the  ladies  are  so  evi- 
dently anxious  not  to  look  the  parts  enough  to  appear 
forward  or  to  suggest  any  impropriety.  All  is  well- 


MEZZOTINTS  109 

ordered  and  without  breach  of  "  proper  form."  Feel- 
ings are  well  restrained  by  stays. 

The  artists  themselves  seem  affected  by  this  point 
of  view,  and  even  where,  in  "  fancy  subjects,"  por- 
traits being  absent,  there  is  a  certain  freedom  of  ex- 
pression, it  is  in  the  voice  of  longing  languor,  not  in 
that  of  passionate  vigor.  Reynolds's  "  The  Snake 
in  the  Grass,"  engraved  by  W.  Ward,  may  serve  to 
illustrate  a  point  on  which  it  is  not  necessary  to  insist 
further.  But  there  is  so  much  skill,  and  dignity,  and 
graceful  charm  in  all  this  that  we  are  held  captive, 
as  we  should  have  been,  no  doubt,  by  the  originals 
of  these  portraits. 

The  portrayal  of  actors  in  roles  of  course  results  in 
a  more  natural  accommodation  to  the  character  por- 
trayed, although  one  cannot  get  entirely  away  from 
the  mixture  of  contemporary  manners  and  the  pro- 
fessional pose.  David  Garrick  as  "  Abel  D rugger," 
by  Dixon  after  Zoffany;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hartley  as 
"  Elfrida,"  by  Dickinson  after  J.  Nixon;  Mrs.  Jordan 
as  "  Hypolita,"  by  Jones  after  Hoppner ;  Miss  Kitty 
Fisher  as  "  Cleopatra,"  by  Fisher  after  Reynolds,  are 
a  few  in  a  long  gallery  of  portraits  in  roles.  But  the 
actresses,  too,  were  made  to  enter  the  realm  of  alle- 
gory. There  is  a  graceful  vision  of  Mrs.  Billington 
as  "  St,  Cecilia,"  engraved  by  James  Ward  (1803) 
from  the  painting,  now  in  the  New  York  Public  Li- 
brary, by  Reynolds.  This  painter,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, pictured  the  apotheosis  of  Mrs.  Siddons  as 
"  The  Tragic  Muse,"  reproduced  in  stipple.  There  is, 
too,  that  fine  plate  by  Fisher,  with  its  delightful  pic- 
ture of  David  Garrick,  smirking  in  indecision  and  mild 


i io         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

self-satisfaction  as  he  is  drawn  hither  and  thither 
by  the  geniuses  of  Tragedy  and  Comedy  contending 
for  his  possession. 

If  such  amusing  features  are  pointed  out  here,  they 
do  not,  of  course,  affect  the  art  of  the  print  any  more 
than  costume  or  customs  affect  the  world's  final  judg- 
ment of  an  individual.  We  recognize  the  strong  per- 
sonality of  an  Elizabeth,  while  we  smile  at  the  cum- 
brous farthingale  which  she  wore;  we  admire  the 
brilliant  qualities  of  Marlborough  while  marveling  at 
the  devotion  to  fashion  that  could  perspire  under  a 
huge  wig.  The  painting,  reproduced  in  the  mezzo- 
tint, gives  us  the  people  of  the  day,  with  both  their 
fine  qualities  and  their  foibles.  Our  same  Garrick, 
dapper  and  alert,  leaning  complacently  against  a  base 
bearing  a  bust  of  Shakespeare  ("Us  two,"  or  "Me 
and  him,"  the  modern  variety  comedian  would  put  it), 
may  cause  a  smile,  but  the  art  of  the  painting  in  which 
he  is  thus  depicted  by  Gainsborough,  and  the  merit  of 
the  mezzotint  by  Green,  do  not. 

And  if  we  have  looked  at  actors  in  the  limelight's 
glare,  in  the  pose  and  strut  of  role,  we  may  see  them 
also  at  home.  So  is  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Billington  pic- 
tured by  Robert  Dunkarton  after  John  Downman;  or 
Mrs.  Abingdon  with  delightful  feminine  charm,  by 
Elizabeth  Judkins  after  Reynolds ;  or  charming  "  Peg 
Woffington,"  in  McArdell's  fine  plate  after  Pond. 
Elizabeth  Judkins  leads  one  to  the  parenthetical  re- 
flection that  it  is  curious  that  not  more  women  took 
up  this  art,  since  so  many,  professionals  as  well  as 
amateurs,  busied  themselves  at  the  same  time  with 
the  more  arduous  task  of  line  engraving. 


MEZZOTINTS  ill 

The  art  of  mezzotinting  was  to  a  very  large  extent 
identified  with  portraiture.  Not  altogether,  however 
Figure  subjects  were  reproduced;  for  instance,  his- 
torical paintings  by  Benjamin  West.  Some  attention 
also  was  given  to  the  old  masters.  McArdell  repro- 
duced "  Rubens  with  His  Wife  and  Child  " ;  James 
Watson  signed  "  The  Dutch  Cook  Maid  "  after  Metsu, 
and  other  Dutch  genre  pieces;  and  Rembrandt  in- 
spired Houston,  Earlom  and  John  Dixon,  who  did  a 
plate  after  the  "  Gilder,"  a  painting  which  in  recent 
years  has  been  exhibited  in  New  York. 

And  here  I  must  interpolate  mention  of  two  noted 
prints  by  Richard  Earlom,  fruit  and  flower  pieces  after 
Van  Huysum,  smooth  and  elaborate.  Hamerton,  in 
his  "  Graphic  Arts,"  points  out  that  the  delicacy  and 
finish  of  these  flower  and  fruit  pieces — "  the  ne  plus 
ultra  of  mezzotint  as  far  as  minute  finish  is  con- 
cerned " — is  such  that  even  the  dewdrops  on  the  leaves 
have  their  gradations,  reflections  and  shadows. 

But  especially  did  British  genre  painting  come  into 
vogue  in  the  later  years  of  the  century.  It  is  the  art 
of  George  Morland  and  of  those  who  painted  in  his 
vein  that  completely  met  the  demands  of  rustic  and 
domestic  sentiment.  These  pictures  portray  honest 
John  Bull,  the  farmer,  on  the  field  and  in  the  cottage; 
they  appeal  to  the  British  love  of  sport  and  horses, 
they  sing  the  praises  of  domestic  virtues  and  the 
British  matron,  they  depict  fine  ladies  and  gentlemen 
in  town  as  well  as  in  rural  retirement.  They  call  forth 
mental  pictures  dear  to  the  heart  of  Englishmen. 
Sometimes  the  feeling  becomes  too  mawkishly  senti- 
mental. Sometimes  the  work  is  a  little  too  frankly 


112          HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

a  pot-boiler,  and  a  little  too  careless  in  details.  But 
the  spirit  is  there  that  made  this  work  popular  because 
it  touched  the  British  heart. 

Morland's  paintings  were  reproduced  by  various  en- 
gravers, but  particularly  by  the  brothers  William  and 
James  Ward,  his  brothers-in-law,  whose  style  seemed 
particularly  adapted  to  that  of  Morland.  William 
Ward  was  an  artist  of  facility,  who,  we  are  told,  "  en- 
graved very  quickly  and  got  as  much  effect  as  possible 
with  the  least  work."  The  subjects  which  Morland 
treated  are  indicated  by  the  titles  of  some  of  the  mez- 
zotints, such  as  "  The  Happy  Cottagers,"  by  Joseph 
Grozer;  "  Selling  Fish"  and  "  Return  from  Market," 
by  J.  R.  Smith;  "  The  Travellers  "  (1802)  and  "  Vil- 
lagers "  (1803),  by  John  Young;  "A  Party  Ang- 
ling," by  George  Keating;  and  "  The  Angler's  Re- 
past," "  The  Sportsman's  Return  "  and  "  The  Farm- 
er's Stable,"  by  William  Ward. 

Others,  too,  painted  subjects  of  this  kind,  among 
them  some  of  the  engravers  themselves.  Instances  in 
point  are  James  Ward's  "  The  Gleaners  Returned  " 
(1801)  and  "  Reaping  "  (1801),  and  J.  R.  Smith's  bit 
of  family  sentiment,  "  A  Visit  to  Grandfather,"  en- 
graved by  William  Ward.  Zoffany,  in  "  Colonel  Mor- 
daunt's  Cock-Match,"  engraved  by  Earlom,  and  Sar- 
torius,  in  his  "  Shooting"  (1802),  mezzotinted  by  S. 
W.  Reynolds,  "  Pointers,"  by  W.  Ward,  etc.,  give  a 
foretaste  of  the  swarm  of  sporting  prints  that  the 
first  half  of  the  new  century  was  to  bring. 

If  such  scenes  illustrate  the  life  of  the  period  with 
a  more  obvious  directness,  though  not  necessarily  with 
more  truth,  than  portraits,  there  is  still  another  field, 


MEZZOTINTS  113 

in  which  the  information  is  given  to  us  of  a  later  day 
by  the  force  of  satire.  Caricature  is  a  branch  of 
figure  work  for  which  mezzotint  was  also  employed 
in  the  last  three  decades  of  the  eighteenth  century.  R. 
Sayer  and  other  print  publishers  of  the  day  issued 
series  of  comic  prints,  not  always  in  very  good  taste, 
but  throwing  interesting  lights  on  the  social  history 
of  the  time,  as  is  shown  in  George  Paston's  "  Social 
Caricature  in  the  Eighteenth  Century"  (1905).  The 
craze  for  such  humorous  mezzotints  seems  to  have 
kept  engravers  busy,  even  the  best  men  being  occa- 
sionally laid  under  contribution  by  the  print-sellers. 
But,  as  a  rule,  these  prints  were  not  marked  by  high 
artistic  qualities.  Their  function  was  that  of  the  cor- 
rective, ridiculing-  follies  and  foibles.  They  are  inter- 
esting rather  as  curiosities  and  have  the  value  of  his- 
torical documents.  A  number  of  these  caricatures 
were  political,  and  some  had  to  do  with  affairs  in  the 
American  colonies.  The  latter,  which  are  naturally 
of  great  interest  to  collectors  of  Americana  and  stu- 
dents of  American  history,  are  pictured  and  described 
in  R.  T.  H.  Halsey's  "  The  Boston  Port  Bill  as  Pic- 
tured by  a  Contemporary  London  Cartoonist,"  issued 
by  the  Grolier  Club  in  1904. 

So  we  can  see  that  portraiture,  genre  scenes  and 
humorous  subjects,  particularly  the  first,  but  always 
figure  work,  mainly  occupied  the  mezzotinters.  And 
the  work  chosen  for  reproduction  was  overwhelmingly 
British.  There  is  much  landscape  background  in  the 
genre  pieces,  and  in  some  portraits.  An  example  of 
the  latter  is  the  fine  sweep  of  park-like  background  in 
the  charming  group  "  Lady  Delme  and  Her  Children," 


ii4         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

by  Green  after  Reynolds.  But  landscape  for  its  own 
sake  we  hardly  find,  except  in  the  reproduction  of 
Claude  Lorraine's  drawings,  the  "  Liber  Veritatis,"  by 
the  versatile  Earlom  (who  also  signed  a  plate  after  R. 
Wilson's  "  Meleager  and  Atalanta,"  1771,  luminously 
rich),  or  an  occasional  plate  such  as  Jones's  "  Peter- 
sham and  Twickenham  Meadows,  from  Richmond 
Hill  "  (1800),  after  Reynolds. 

The  feeling  for  landscape,  fostered  by  artists  like 
old  Crome  and  Constable,  came  to  fuller  appreciation 
in  the  next  century.  And  that  feeling  is  expressed  for 
mezzotint  primarily  in  J.  M.  W.  Turner's  "  Liber 
Studiorum."  The  "  Liber  Sttidiorum  "  is  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  and  fills  a  place  apart.  In  a  time — 
the  early  Victorian  period — peculiarly  barren  of 
genius,  it  projects  itself  by  the  force  of  its  beauty 
and  harmony.  It  consists  of  a  series  of  plates  from 
sketches  in  sepia  by  J.  M.  W.  Turner.  These  plates 
were  first  deeply  etched  by  the  painter  himself,  then 
mezzotinted.  The  etchings  were  always  done  with 
reference  to  the  final  effect,  and  must  therefore  be  con- 
sidered as  frameworks  to  sustain  the  mezzotinting 
rather  than  as  examples  of  pure  etching.  In  other 
words,  they  were  not  an  end  in  themselves.  These 
etched  lines  are  so  deeply  bitten  that  in  certain  cases 
they  show  in  heavy  ridges  on  the  paper  when  printed, 
with  corresponding  deep  hollows  in  the  back  of  the 
sheet.  The  "  Jason  "  is  a  striking  example  of  this. 

Mezzotint  was  to  Turner  a  convenient  process  for 
reproducing  the  subtle  and  delicate  gradations  of  light 
and  shade  of  his  sepia  studies,  adopted  after  he  had 
tried  aquatint,  in  which  manner  F.  C.  Lewis  engraved 


MEZZOTINTS  115 

one  of  the  plates  ("Bridge  and  Goats").  Some  of 
the  plates  were  mezzotinted  by  Turner  himself,  with 
vigorous  individuality,  notably  "  Junction  of  Severn 
and  Wye  "  and  "  ^Esacus  and  Hesperie,"  the  rest  by 
professional  engravers,  C.  Turner,  Say,  Dunkarton, 
Lupton,  Clint,  H.  Dawe,  Annis,  Easling,  Hodgetts 
and  Reynolds.  Some  of  these  had  had  little  prepara- 
tion in  landscape  work,  but  engraved  under  Turner's 
direct  supervision.  How  much  that  supervision  meant 
may  be  seen  by  comparing  the  "  Liber  "  with  a  volume 
of  "Beauties  of  Claude  Lorraine"  (1825)  done  by 
some  of  these  same  engravers.  In  mastery  of  com- 
position, in  range  of  light  effect,  from  the  most  tender 
glow  of  the  sunbeams  in  the  brightness  of  a  sum- 
mer day,  to  the  darkness  of  the  storm  closing  down 
on  the  last  vanishing  ray,  in  wide  variety  of  subject, 
these  plates  are  wonderful. 

Take  the  skies  alone.  Light  skies  and  dark  ones; 
skies  suffused  with  tender  light  as  in  "Basle"  (No. 
5)  ;  skies  in  the  bright  glare  of  the  midday  sun 
("Twickenham — Pope's  Villa")  and  in  the  mellow 
glow  of  approaching  twilight,  in  "  The  Bridge  in 
Middle  Distance "  or  "  Norham  Castle,"  reminding 
one  of  the  opening  line  of  Marmion :  "  Day  set  on 
Norham's  castled  Steep";  cloud-flecked  skies  ("The 
Castle  above  the  Meadows")  and  skies  in  the  dark 
garb  of  the  wind-whipped  storm-clouds  scudding  over 
a  choppy  sea  which  reflects  their  darkness  and  the 
fading  light,  as  in  "  Ships  in  a  Breeze";  or  heavy  in 
lightning-streaked  blackness,  as  in  "  The  Fifth  Plague 
of  Egypt." 

The  variety  in  this  special  feature  is  as  great  as  the 


,  fc> 

•K-     >i>.' 
vi-sirr— v^       ^  -• 

fl«9U'^Sv.=S*VV 

fct=fcar^^ 


I 

! 
« 

i 

i 
? 


h 
£ 

sj 

"» 

ft 


QG1 
W  ^M 
W  u 

£  !•* 

H  |a 

frj  (Sfl    ^ 

rT       g 

S^-u 


£H 


-,'  6 


MEZZOTINTS  117 

range  of  subjects  of  these  prints,  which  run  the  gamut 
of  sentiments  inspired  by  landscape.  It  is  like  a  hymn 
to  the  sun,  the  great  source  of  light,  rising  in  promise 
of  radiance,  reigning  supreme  in  life-giving  brilliance, 
breaking  through  the  clouds  ("  Leader  Sea  Piece  "  or 
''Flint  Castle"),  touching  up  a  waterfall  in  a  dark 
gorge  so  that  it  shimmers  in  sparkling  light  or  fall- 
ing aslant  between  the  trees  of  the  mysterious  forests, 
as  in  "  ^Esacus  and  Hesperie  " ;  shooting  across  deep 
valleys  and  along  darkly-shadowed  cliffs  in  magnifi- 
cent play  of  light  and  shade,  as  in  the  superb  "  Ben 
Arthur";  setting  in  a  glory  of  dying  rays  that  turn 
the  trembling  motes  into  flickering  dust  of  mellow 
gold,  as  in  "  Windmill  and  Lock." 

The  grandeur  of  mountain  scenery,  so  finely  handled 
in  the  rocky  slopes  of  "  Mt.  St.  Gotthard,"  is  con- 
trasted with  rolling  meadows  or  flatlands  in  "  Hedg- 
ing and  Ditching  "  and  "  Solway  Moss." 

The  imaginative  setting  of  mythological  subjects, 
such  as  the  "  Procris  and  Cephalus,"  the  composition 
of  which  is  subjected  to  detailed  analysis  by  Ruskin 
in  his  "Modern  Painters"  (vol.  2),  and  the  serenity 
of  classical  landscape  in  "  Woman  and  Tambourine," 
make  strong  contrast  with  the  every-day  aspect  of  a 
"  Farm  Yard  "  or  a  wayside  brook. 

And  how  the  sea  is  depicted!  We  see  it  in  storm, 
with  waves  running  before  a  slight  breeze,  dashing 
against  the  spray-worn  cliffs  of  the  "  Coast  of  York- 
shire " ;  or  in  the  peace  of  "  Calm,"  a  plate  beauti- 
fully luminous  in  the  golden  toned  ink  of  its  third 
state.  In  this  the  becalmed  sailing  vessels  again 
contrast  in  their  quiet,  straight  lines  with  the  life 


n8         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

and  movement  of  ship,  sea  and  clouds  in  "  Entrance 
to  Calais  Harbor."  Lupton,  by  the  way,  is  said  to 
have  emphasized  the  difference  between  the  artist- 
engraver  and  professionals  by  asserting  that  none  of 
the  engravers  engaged  on  the  "  Liber "  could  have 
reproduced  the  action  of  wind  on  the  waves  as  Turner 
did  himself.  Comparison  of  some  of  these  etched 
and  mezzotinted  plates  with  certain  of  the  unpublished 
ones  (Nos.  81,  82,  85,  88)  which  were  engraved  in 
pure  mezzotint  by  Turner  himself,  will  show  better 
than  many  words  what  the  advantages  are  of  pre- 
liminary etching  and  what  the  gain  is,  again,  in  doing 
without  it.  If  it  is  impossible  to  see  the  original  mez- 
zotints, there  are  the  very  good  autotype  reproduc- 
tions published  1899  in  two  volumes,  with  critical 
notices  by  Stopford  Brooke.  The  "  Liber  "  was  issued 
irregularly,  in  parts,  early  and  late,  good  and  bad 
impressions  mingled.  To  get  a  set  of  fine  impressions, 
it  is  therefore  necessary  to  pick  them  out  from  various 
published  sets.  This  has  been  done  to  produce  those 
in  the  British  Museum  and  the  New  York  Public 
Library.  It  is  only  in  such  selected  sets  that  the  full 
beauty  of  this  work  is  adequately  shown.  Comparisons 
between  Turner's  "  Liber  Studiorum "  and  Claude 
Lorraine's  "  Liber  Veritatis  "  naturally  suggest  them- 
selves, but  Claude's  "  Liber  "  is  a  pictorial  index  of 
his  paintings,  in  sepia  sketches  engraved  after  his 
time,  while  Turner's  consists  of  engravings  executed 
under  his  direct  supervision,  with  effects  premeditated 
in  drawings  made  for  the  purpose,  and  attained  under 
his  eye.  The  "  Liber  "  is  a  monument  to  Turner  as  a 
delineator  of  landscape. 


MEZZOTINTS  119 

The  one  other  specially  remarkable  example  of  land- 
scape in  mezzotint  is  found  in  the  plates  by  Lucas 
after  Constable,  although  they  are  quite  different  in 
intent  and  effect,  being  reproductions  of  finished  paint- 
ings. Lucas,  too,  heavily  etched  his  plates.  But  this 
etching  is  not  so  apparent  in  the  small  plates,  "  Eng- 
lish Landscape,"  which  Constable  published  in  1830 
and  1831.  Some  of  these  are  almost  in  pure  mezzo- 
tint, with  a  peculiar  grain  (something  like  that  of  a 
coarse  crayon)  and  with  a  modicum  of  rouletting. 
These  small  plates,  too,  have  the  dark,  somewhat 
gloomy,  massive  aspect,  an  inkiness,  which  has  been 
attributed  to  the  use  of  black  ink.  "  The  Lock  "  and 
"  The  Cornfield  "  are  two  of  his  finest  plates  after 
Constable,  and  the  same  artist's  "  Salisbury  Cathe- 
dral "  ("The  Rainbow")  inspired  him  to  the  pro- 
duction of  what  has  been  pronounced  his  masterpiece. 
At  all  events,  it  won  the  praise  of  the  painter  himself, 
who,  it  should  be  noted,  supervised  Lucas'  work. 

Lucas  worked  on  steel,  as  did  also  Lupton,  whose 
best  work  in  landscape  is  seen  in  the  plates  in  Turner's 
"  Harbors  of  England."  Lupton  also  did  at  least  one 
vigorous  landscape,  if  not  more,  after  the  painter  John 
Martin,  over  whose  "  gorgeous  imagination  "  James 
Huneker  grows  eloquently  enthusiastic,  and  who  him- 
self mezzotinted  some  of  his  vivid  conceptions  of  Old 
Testament  scenes,  wide  sweeps  of  mountains  and  sky, 
teeming  with  armies,  with  angelic  hosts  and  the  hordes 
of  Satan. 

So  we  have  come  well  into  the  nineteenth  century, 
in  which  the  overwhelming  predominance  of  the  por- 
trait continued.  The  earlier  years  of  the  century  wit- 


120         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

nessed  a  continuance  of  the  activity  of  some  who 
either  were  identified  with  the  period  of  the  great  mas- 
ters of  the  art,  or  were  perpetuating  its  best  tradi- 
tions. Among  these  were  W.  W.  Barney,  John 
Young,  S.  W.  Reynolds,  whose  "  Georgiana  Eliza- 
beth, Duchess  of  Bedford,"  after  Hoppner,  delicate 
and  refined,  was  "  not  surpassed  in  what  one  may 
call  spiritual  grace,"  and  Charles  Turner. 

Turner,  who  has  been  referred  to  as  the  last  great 
portrait  mezzotinter,  shows  much  of  the  old  spirit, 
and  usually  employs  etched  lines  with  great  discre- 
tion. Vigor,  brilliancy,  rich  textures,  sound  technique 
and  nobility  of  style  mark  his  best  plates,  among  which 
are  Reynolds's  "  George,  Third  Duke  of  Marlborough 
and  His  Family,"  and  Lawrence's  "  Lord  Castle- 
reagh  "  and  "  Lady  Wigram." 

Say  scraped  the  first  mezzotint  on  steel,  a  portrait 
of  Queen  Caroline,  in  1820.  Lupton's  experiments  in 
his  search  for  a  more  lasting  material  than  copper  led 
him  finally  to  the  use  of  soft  steel.  Steel  has  been 
objected  to  as  not  exhibiting  the  rich  qualities  of 
mezzotints  on  copper,  the  "  luminous  delicacy  of  the 
old  work,"  as  being  flat  and  colorless.  The  dark  black 
ink  in  which  these  steel  plates  have  usually  been  printed 
does  not  contrast  favorably  with  the  ink  used  for  the 
finest  of  the  old  mezzotints  on  copper,  ink  of  a  warm, 
brownish  tone— decidedly  brown  in  the  case  of  Tur- 
ner's ""Liber." 

Of  course  there  is  the  compromise  of  engraving  on 
a  copper  plate  and  then  coating  the  latter  by  the  elec- 
trotype process  with  a  film  of  steel.  This  latter  can  be 
stripped  off  when  there  are  signs  of  wear,  and  the 


MEZZOTINTS  121 

plate  re-steeled.  To  some  extent,  the  age  of  steel 
seems  to  stand  here,  as  it  did  with  line  engraving,  for 
smooth  finish  and  much  detail. 

The  most  noteworthy  figure  among  later  nineteenth- 
century  engravers  is  Samuel  Cousins,  an  artist  of  un- 
doubtedly great  ability,  with  absolute  command  of  his 
process,  largely  aided  by  etching  and  engraving.  One 
of  his  finest  plates,  "Boyhood's  Reverie"  (Master 
Lambton),  after  Lawrence,  well  illustrates  his  control 
of  his  materials.  He  attains  both  richness  and  deli- 
cacy, is  brilliant  and  excels  some  of  his  predecessors 
in  the  absolute  rendering  of  texture;  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  he  lacks  the  rugged  vigor  of  a  John  Raphael 
Smith.  "  The  Bud  of  Promise,"  after  Lawrence,  is 
similarly  a  beautiful  piece  of  work.  But  when  he 
reproduces  an  insipid  picture  like  "  Sunshine  of  Love," 
by  Raoux,  we  see  how  all  this  skill  can  approach  to  the 
lackadaisical  mushiness  of  the  frontispiece  to  a 
"  young  ladies'  annual  "  or  a  "  floral  gift  "  of  the  thir- 
ties. And,  unfortunately,  the  weakness  of  an  influ- 
ential artist  is  reflected  in  the  works  of  his  followers, 
as  well  as  his  strength.  The  impress  of  Cousins  seems 
stamped  on  this  period.  His  smooth,  finished,  self- 
sure  style  is  reflected,  though  with  less  brilliancy,  in 
the  plates  of  Thomas  Lupton,  C.  E.  Wagstaff,  G.  H. 
Phillips  and  others.  This  is  seen  in  the  volume  of 
engravings  from  the  works  of  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence 
published  in  1836,  in  which  the  "  mixed  method  "  is 
very  much  in  evidence. 

This  mixed  method  had  been  more  and  more  devel- 
oped since  C.  Turner  did  his  "  Apotheosis  of  Princess 
Charlotte."  By  its  aid  effects  are  easily  produced 


122         HOW.  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

which  would  be  very  difficult  with  mezzotint  alone. 
But  it  is  a  dangerous  expedient  in  the  hands  of 
inferior  artists. 

The  art  remained  identified  with  England  as  it  had 
in  the  foregoing  century,  when  it  had  even  been  called 
the  "  English  Manner."  In  the  United  States  it  was 
fostered  especially  by  two  men  of  English  birth.  The 
first  mezzotint  done  in  this  country  was  a  portrait  of 
Cotton  Mather,  engraved  in  1727  by  Peter  Pelham, 
who  came  over  from  London.  A  century  later,  John 
Sartain,  coming  from  the  same  city,  in  1830,  began  a 
long  career  in  Philadelphia  as  a  mezzotint  engraver. 

In  the  intervening  years  Charles  Willson  Peale 
scraped  portraits  of  Washington,  Lafayette  and 
Franklin;  and  D.  Martin's  well-known  portrait  of 
the  last  named  was  reproduced  in  a  noteworthy  mezzo- 
tint by  Edward  Savage. 

The  work  of  John  Sartain  stands  out.  Much  of  it 
was  produced  under  pressure  (his  portrait  of  Espar- 
tero  was  scraped  in  one  night),  for  he  did  an  enor- 
mous amount  of  book-illustrations,  which  even  his 
facility  and  skill  could  not  always  raise  above  the 
commonplace.  Many  of  his  plates  were  printed  from 
so  much  that  the  impressions  were  mere  ghosts,  and 
the  copper  then  touched  up  with  burin  or  roulette  in  a 
futile  effort  to  restore  lost  richness;  the  effect  was 
somewhat  that  of  a  patch  upon  a  pair  of  trousers.  But 
Sartain  was  an  able  artist,  whose  work  shows  suavity, 
sureness  and  artistic  feeling.  His  best  portraits  include 
those  of  Robert  Gilmore  after  Lawrence,  Henry  Clay 
after  John  Neagle  (1843),  Van  Buren  after  Inman 
and  Bishop  William  White  after  Sully,  a  piece  of  pure 


MEZZOTINTS  123 

mezzotint.  I  have  myself  encountered  several  amateurs 
who  had  accumulated  large  collections  of  his  engrav- 
ings— another  illustration  of  the  fact  that  there  are 
plenty  of  by-paths  for  the  collector.  His  brother 
Samuel  was  also  a  mezzotinter,  and  his  son,  William 
Sartain,  well  known  as  a  painter,  has  maintained  the 
family  traditions  of  skill  and  taste  in  several  large 
plates,  including  a  portrait  of  Irving  after  C.  R.  Leslie 
and  one  of  Byron. 

In  the  production  of  large  "  framing  prints,"  such 
as  "  King  Solomon  and  the  Iron  Worker  "  and  "  Men 
of  Progress:  American  Inventors,"  after  Schussele, 
"  The  County  Election  in  Missouri  "  after  Bingham, 
"  Christ  Rejected "  after  Benjamin  West,  Sartain 
himself,  as  well  as  A.  H.  Ritchie  and  others,  supplied 
a  demand  similar  to  that  answered  by  line  engravers 
of  the  same  period  in  their  large  plates  after  Landseer, 
Wilkie,  Burton,  in  England,  or  Mount,  Woodville  or 
Edmonds,  in  the  United  States.  And  in  the  literary 
annuals,  "  Gem  of  the  Season"  (1846),  "  Forget  Me 
Not"  (1849),  "  Magnolia"  (1855)  and  others  be- 
side, they  found  a  further  field  for  activity,  producing 
much  weak  and  flabby  prettiness. 

Mezzotint  has  been  spoken  of  for  years  as  a  "  lost 
art,"  but  that  is  not  entirely  true.  It  has,  indeed,  been 
practiced  under  unworthy  conditions,  and  often  by 
unworthy  artists.  But  to  include  in  a  general  con- 
demnation the  nineteenth-century  work  which  really 
shows  sincerity  and  capability  is  to  be  unjust.  The  art 
very  likely  suffered  from  the  rapid  and  enormous  de- 
velopment of  that  branch  of  the  photomechanical 
processes  known  as  photogravure.  I  hear  that  pub- 


124          HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

lishers  of  photogravures  have  advertised  them  as 
"  mezzotints  engraved  on  steel,"  and  that  mezzotinters 
in  England  have  found  employment  in  touching  up 
photogravure  plates,  just  as  a  number  of  American 
wood  engravers,  finding  their  occupation  gone,  have 
deserted  to  the  enemy  and  touch  up  the  half-tone  plate 
which  put  them  out  of  their  original  business. 

On  the  other  hand,  it  is  interesting  to  find  that  many 
of  the  plates  accompanying  Julia  Frankau's  books  on 
J.  R.  Smith  and  the  Wards  are  mezzotint  copies  of  the 
old  plates  by  modern  engravers.  One  of  these  is 
signed  by  A.  J.  Skrimshire,  whose  "  The  Old  Mill," 
an  original  mezzotint,  was  published  in  the  Artist- 
Engraver  for  October,  1904. 

But  the  art  of  mezzotinting  is  neither  lost  nor  dead. 
It  is  being  practiced,  though  by  comparatively  few. 
Particularly  in  England,  where  the  names  of  Gerald 
Robinson  and  R.  S.  Clouston,  D.  A.  and  Emil  Wehr- 
schmidt,  A.  J.  Skrimshire,  George  Every,  T.  G.  Ap- 
pleton,  R.  Josey  and  John  D.  Miller,  who  rendered 
the  paintings  of  Lord  Leighton,  are  among  those  in  a 
group  numerous  enough  to  sustain  a  Society  of  Mez- 
zotint Engravers. 

The  best  work  needs  no  apology.  At  most,  it  may 
be  noted  that  some  of  the  present-day  mezzotinters 
attack  the  plate  in  a  somewhat  different  manner  from 
that  of  the  eighteenth-century  men.  It  would  be  sad 
if  they  did  not,  if  they  merely  tried  to  reproduce 
slavishly  the  art  of  another  day,  instead  of  being  of 
their  own  time  in  their  own  way.  Even  those  who, 
like  Thomas  G.  Appleton,  devote  themselves  to  the 
reproduction  of  portraits  by  the  very  painters  identi- 


MEZZOTINTS  125 

fied  with  the  art  of  mezzotinting  at  the  time  of  its 
greatest  popularity,  and  who  therefore  would  be  most 
likely  to  approach  most  closely  to  the  methods  of  the 
old  mezzotinters,  only  do  so  partially.  Gerald  Robin- 
son's "  Mrs.  Robinson  as  Perdita  "  succeeds  in  pre- 
»  •  f 

senting  Gainsborough,  as  R.  S.  Clouston's  "  The  For- 
tune Teller,"  after  Reynolds,  is  quite  evidently  faithful 
to  the  original,  and  quite  noteworthy  in  its  rendering 
of  the  touch  of  the  brush,  the  paintiness  of  the  skirt  of 
the  little  girl. 

Flatness  and  want  of  translucency  in  the  shadows 
are  the  principal  faults  laid  at  the  door  of  these  new 
men,  but  in  plates  such  as  these  two  we  certainly  find  a 
return  to  practically  pure  mezzotint,  and  apparently 
the  honest  intention  to  translate  understandingly  with- 
out indulging  in  any  brilliancy  not  in  the  original,  and 
without  undue  reference  to  former  practices. 

It  is  not  enough  that  the  artist  knows  and  respects 
the  limits  of  his  art,  he  must  learn  its  resources  within 
those  limits,  its  adaptability  to  the  task  before  him. 
The  question  is  whether  mezzotint  is  absolutely  and 
only  adapted  to  the  period  to  which  it  has  become  so 
wedded  in  our  mind.  If  the  modern  mezzotinter 
finds  new  qualities,  finds  that  copper  and  rocker  and 
scraper  can  be  made  to  tell  new  things  and  the  things 
he  tells  are  worth  listening  to,  we  need  not  be  re- 
strained by  preconceived  notions  of  how  a  mezzotint 
should  look.  We  should  rather  try  to  adapt  ourselves 
to  new  conditions. 

Interesting  examples  of  the  modern  application  of 
the  art  to  the  rendering  of  modern  paintings  are  seen 
in  two  plates  by  Richard  Josey  after  Whistler — "  Rosa 


126         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

Corder"  (1880)  and  "  Carlyle "  (1878).  On  the 
latter  the  painter  has  apparently  set  the  seal  of  his 
approval,  for  he  has  signed  impressions  with  his  name 
and  the  butterfly,  in  pencil. 

One  outcome  of  the  continued  use  of  mezzotinting 
in  modern  times  is  the  employment  of  the  medium  to 
reproduce  paintings  in  color,  from  one  plate,  which 
is  carefully  inked  with  all  the  colors  for  each  im- 
pression. S.  Arlent  Edwards,  Charles  Bird,  F.  G. 
Stevenson,  J.  S.  King  and  Fred  Millar  are  practicing 
this  specialty  to-day. 

In  other  days,  color  was  particularly  used  for  the 
figure  pieces  after  Morland  and  others.  Some  of  the 
plates  thus  printed  in  colors  have  a  soft  and  pleasing 
effect,  though  not  a  few  are  weak  in  conception  and 
execution.  Sometimes,  too,  color  was  employed  to 
mask  the  waning  beauty  of  a  worn  plate. 

It  was  in  the  spirit  of  the  later  nineteenth  century 
to  essay  the  production  of  original  work  in  mezzo- 
tint, to  try  it  as  an  autographic  art.  This  was  an 
attitude  toward  the  art  rarely  found  in  the  eighteenth 
century.  Frye  is  almost  an  isolated  instance.  If  Mc- 
Ardell  or  Smith  or  Dunkarton  mezzotinted  portraits 
or  figure  pieces  from  their  own  designs,  it  is  almost 
the  same  as  if  they  copied  paintings  by  others.  In 
fact,  the  results  are  often  not  as  good.  At  all  events, 
they  copied,  even  though  it  was  their  own  work. 

The  first  noteworthy  painter-mezzotinter  was  J.  M. 
W.  Turner,  in  those  plates  of  the  "  Liber  "  which  he 
scraped  himself.  Much  later,  near  the  end  of  the  cen- 
tury, Joseph  Knight  was  engraving  landscapes  with 
quiet  effectiveness.  One  I  remember,  a  simple  bit  of 


MEZZOTINTS  127 

flat  land,  with  clouds  rolling  upward  above,  and  taking 
up  most  of  the  picture.  I  do  not  mention  this  so  much 
for  its  merit,  although  it  is  a  good,  honest  piece  of 
mezzotint,  but  because  it  illustrates  modern  apprecia- 
tion of  landscape  for  its  own  sake,  the  feeling  voiced 
by  Amiel  in  the  words,  "  a  landscape  is  a  condition 
of  the  soul."  More  perfectly  is  this  expressed  in 
plates  by  Haden  and  Short,  of  whom  more  mention 
later  on. 

In  these  later  days  the  spirit  of  experimenting  in 
expression  has  led  various  interesting  artistic  person- 
alities to  essay  mezzotinting,  and  that,  too,  with  a 
return  to  purity  of  method.  One  of  them  is  Hubert 
Herkomer,  whose  "  Etching  and  Mezzotint  Engrav- 
ing "  (1892)  is  an  interesting  volume  on  the  modern 
technique  of  the  art. 

Sir  Seymour  Haden's  work  includes  several  mezzo- 
tints, some  heavily  etched,  "  Egham  Lock,"  "  Win- 
chester Canal,"  "  Harlech "  and  "Breaking  Up  of 
the  Agamemnon,"  a  moonlight  scene,  the  last  two 
with  fine  effect  of  sky  in  gradations  from  tender 
lights  to  strong  darks.  And  his  well-known,  large 
and  vigorously  executed  etching  after  Turner's  "  Ca- 
lais Pier  "  was  also  used  as  the  basis  of  a  mezzotint. 

Some  of  the  unpublished  drawings  for  Turner's 
"  Liber,"  such  as  No.  92,  "  View  of  a  River  from  a 
Terrace,"  were  mezzotinted  by  Frank  Short,  and  done 
with  skill  and  sympathetic  appreciation  of  the  painter's 
aims.  In  his  "  Mouth  of  the  Thames,"  after  Turner, 
with  a  somewhat  coarse  grain,  he  is  particularly  happy 
in  giving  the  translucent  effect  of  the  waves,  and  his 
"  Swiss  Pass,"  after  the  same  painter,  is  apostrophized 


128         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

by  Wedmore  as  "  a  silvery  mezzotint  of  utmost  deli- 
cacy, ...  a  feat,  indeed,  a  late  Turner  realized; 
a  dream  arrested;  the  evanescent  made  lasting." 

He  has  also  translated  some  landscapes  by  Con- 
stable and  De  Wint  with  the  same  rare  perfection  of 
technique,  though  much  of  his  reproductive  work  was 
after  the  imaginative  G.  F.  Watts,  whose  head  of  Ten- 
nyson he  rendered  with  tact  and  sympathy.  Delicacy 
in  manipulation,  variety  and  flexibility  are  among  the 
qualities  attributed  to  the  work  of  this  artist,  who  in 
original  mezzotints,  such  as  "  Weary  Morn "  and 
"  Lifting  Cloud,"  has  established  his  prominent  posi- 
tion among  those  who  have  striven  to  make  mezzotint 
a  vehicle  for  a  direct  expression  of  artistic  individ- 
uality, an  immediate  record  of  impressions.  An  inter- 
esting portrait  of  Haden  is  the  work  of  Aphonse 
Legros. 

In  Germany,  Max  Pietschmann  has  scraped  at  least 
one  head,  if  not  more,  with  a  free  touch  and  in  a 
modern  spirit,  and  the  same  terms  may  be  used  to 
characterize  an  interesting  bit  of  wooded  landscape, 
"Licht  und  Schatten,"  by  Fritz  Voellmy  of  Basle, 
published  in  the  Zeitschrift  fiir  Bildende  Kunst  in 
1904.  Otto  Protzen  has  produced  some  very  interest- 
ing marines,  full  of  life  and  movement. 

The  veteran  American  engraver,  James  D.  Smillie, 
an  artist  well  grounded  in  the  technical  details  of  the 
various  methods  of  engraving  on  copper,  did  a  mezzo- 
tint, "  Hollyhocks,"  of  quiet  charm. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  mezzotint  is  a  fairly  rapid 
process,  as  compared  with  the  arduous  toil  of  line 
engraving,  it  is  not  entirely  beyond  the  range  of  possi- 


SIR  FRANCIS  SEYMOUR  HADEN  AT  63. 

Mezzotint  by  Alphonse  Legros. 
An  example  of  modern  original  work. 


MEZZOTINTS  129 

bility  that  more  may  in  time  adopt  it,  as  some  have 
turned  to  etching  and  a  very  few  to  lithography.  It 
will,  however,  be  limited  to  certain  subjects,  certain 
artistic  moods.  For  giving  masses  of  light  and  shade, 
it  affords  a  finished  appearance  while  wanting  the 
detail  and  precision  of  line.  It  lacks  the  suppleness, 
the  immense  possibilities  of  variety,  of  the  etching 
or  the  lithograph.  But  in  its  turn  it  has  qualities  of 
beauty  and  loveliness  which  neither  of  these  arts  can 
attain:  a  quite  peculiar  depth  of  velvety  softness 
which  the  darkest,  richest  tints  of  the  drawing  on 
stone  do  not  yield;  a  sufficiency  of  effect  in  render- 
ing the  finish  of  certain  textures  in  portraits,  and  a 
peculiar  richness  and  luminosity  in  certain  aspects  of 
landscape.  So  we  come  back  again  to  the  fundamental 
truth  that  each  art  has  its  field,  that  it  fills  the  same 
and  should  not  be  expected  or  forced  to  do  the  work 
of  another  art,  that  its  beauty  and  charm  lie  in  the 
honest  and  truthful  expression  of  its  own  nature,  and 
that  we  must  take  it  as  it  is,  advantages,  drawbacks 
and  all. 


CHAPTER  V 
AQUATINT  AND  OTHER  TINT  METHODS 

THE  desire  to  present  tones  and  not  lines  only  has 
led  to  various  devices  for  printing  tints. 

I  have  shown  in  the  chapter  on  etching  that  the 
simple  leaving  of  a  film  of  ink  has  been  employed  to 
cast  a  tint  over  the  etched  line,  and  that  intentionally 
produced  foul  biting  is  occasionally  indulged  in  for 
the  sake  of  the  peculiar  effect  of  its  grain. 

The  monotype  is  produced  by  painting  in  ink  or 
colors  on  a  metal  plate  and  passing  the  latter  through 
the  press  before  the  color  is  dry.1 

Many  means  have  been  used  to  roughen  the  surface 
of  the  copper  in  order  to  form  projections  and  conse- 
quent hollows  to  hold  ink  and  thus  produce  tints. 
Plate  three  in  Frank  Short's  little  book  "  On  the  Mak- 
ing of  Etchings  "  shows  specimens  of  work  in  some  of 
these  processes — sand  grain,  aquatint,  sulphur-tint, 
rouletting,  mezzotint  and  dry-point.  Some  engravers 
have  roughened  the  plate  with  a  file.  Another  plan 
is  to  corrode  its  surface  with  powdered  sulphur,  pro- 
ducing the  "  sulphur-tint."  Mrs.  M.  N.  Moran  em- 
ployed "  Scotch  stone  "  (a  substance  used  to  reduce 
plates)  in  Twilight,  Easthampton.  And  there  arc 
other  means  at  hand.  Vinegar  acts  as  a  weak  mor- 

1  There  is  a  fine  collection  of  monotypes,  for  example,  in  the  Bibliotheque 
d'Art  et  d'Archeologie.  Paris,  those  by  Degas  being  remarkably  rich  in  sug- 
gestion. 

130 


TINT  METHODS  131 

dant,  and  rain-water  etches  zinc.  The  bare  copper  can 
be  brushed  with  acid,  which,  biting  lightly,  produces 
slight  irregularities.  The  aim  of  this  procedure  is 
more  regularly  and  controllably  attained  by  the  use 
of  aquatint  (see  pp.  131  et  seq.).  This  latter  served 
from  the  first  to  imitate  wash  drawings,  and  hence 
was  known  in  France  as  gravure  an  lavis. 

The  sandpaper  method  is  a  simple  substitute  for 
mezzotint;  the  grounded  plate  is  passed  through  the 
press  with  sandpaper  laid  face  downward  upon  it.  By 
this  operation  the  grains  of  sand  are  forced  through 
the  etching  ground  onto  the  plate.  The  latter  is  then 
subjected  to  the  action  of  acid,  which  attacks  the 
copper  wherever  it  has  thus  been  laid  bare  by  the 
grains  of  sand.  As  an  auxiliary  it  is  occasionally  em- 
ployed, but  not  often  as  a  pure  medium  of  expression. 
Pennell  and  Strang  have  given  examples  of  pure 
"  sandpaper  mezzotint."  Grains  of  fine  sand  may  also 
be  dusted  on  the  plate,  a  method  carried  out  also  with 
marine  salt.  The  plate  is  covered  with  an  etching 
ground  on  which  the  salt  settles  and  sinks  down  upon 
the  copper.  The  salt  is  then  dissolved,  leaving  little 
openings  in  the  etching  ground,  at  the  bottom  of  which 
the  plate  lies  bare.  Here  again,  successive  acid  bitings 
produce  the  desired  result. 

All  these,  being  very  limited  and  special  in  their 
effect,  are  auxiliary  processes.  That  is,  they  are  rarely 
employed  alone,  but  usually,  and  to  a  slight  extent, 
in  conjunction  with  other  methods,  especially  etching. 

The  best-known  of  the  various  minor  methods  of 
producing  a  grained  tint  is  that  known  a 


And  that,  though  often  and  perforce  used  in  combina- 


132         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS       y 

tion  with  the  etched  line,  enters  so  largely  into 
the  work  that 'prints  thus  produced  are  known  as 
aquatints. 

Aquatint  is  really  an  etching  process.  Minute  par- 
ticles of  a  resinous  substance  are  deposited  on  a  copper 
plate.  The  latter  is  then  placed  in  a  bath  of  acid, 
which  eats  into  the  copper  wherever  it  is  not  protected 
by  the  resinous  particles.  These  latter  can  be  applied 
in  two  ways.  A  fine  powder  is  allowed  to  settle  on 
the  plate  inside  of  a  box  in  which  it  has  been  stirred 
up  and  thrown  into  the  air  by  a  special  contrivance. 
The  quantity  of  powder  may  be  regulated  by  taking 
the  plate  out,  covering  with  paper  the  portions  which 
have  been  sufficiently  powdered,  and  then  replacing  it 
in  the  box.  Or  the  particles  are  held  in  suspension 
in  alcohol  which  is  poured  over  the  plate.  As  this 
coating  dries,  it  crackles,  leaving  little  fissures.  The 
treatment  with  acid  is  the  same  in  either  case. 

The  resin  is  then  removed,  and  the  plate  is  ready 
for  the  press.  The  acid  having  entered  into  the  fine 
fissures  between  the  particles,  the  result  in  printing  is 
a  flat  tint  with  minute  white  spots,  giving  a  sort  of 
crackled  effect  on  close  inspection.  Stopping  out  is 
resorted  to,  as  in  etching.  That  is,  portions  that  are 
to  appear  lighter  are  covered  with  stopping-out  varnish 
after  the  plate  has  been  subjected  to  the  action  of  the 
acid  for  a  certain  time;  then  the  plate  is  placed  in  the 
acid  bath  again.  This  of  course  can  be  repeated,  the 
darkest  portions  being  thus  exposed  longest  to  the 
acid. 

The  process,  as  I  have  described  it,  is  the  one  used 
in  later  times.  By  the  method  as  originally  invented 


MttflF 


A  PLATE  FROM  FRANK  SHORT'S  "  ON  THE  MAKING  OF  ETCH- 
INGS "    (LONDON,    1888). 

Fig.  i.  Etched  lines  bitten  in  different  depths.  2.  Etched  lines  bur- 
nished at  lower  corner.  3.  Soft-ground  etching.  4.  Sand  grains.  $• 
Foul  biting.  6.  Aquatint.  7.  Sulphur-tint.  8.  Lines  cut  with  a  burin. 
9.  Roulette  work.  10.  Mezzotint,  n.  Dry-point. 


TINT  METHODS  133 

or  perfected  by  Jean  Baptiste  Le  Prince  (1733-81), 
the  plate  was  first  covered  with  an  etching  ground 
and  the  latter  then  removed  by  dissolution  except 
at  the  places  which  were  to  appear  white  in  the  im- 
pression. The  unprotected  portions  of  the  plate  were 
then  dusted  over  with  finely  powdered  asphaltum  or 
resin,  after  which  the  plate  was  bitten  and  stopped 
out  as  already  described. 

Aquatint  can  render  flat  tints  varying  in  strength, 
from  the  most  delicate  to  quite  dark,  but  not  the 
velvety  richness  of  mezzotint  nor  its  gradations.  An 
absolutely  gradual,  delicate  merging  of  a  dark  tone 
into  a  light  one  is  hardly  within  the  power  and  prov- 
ince of  pure  aquatint,  and  is  not  met  with  in  the 
older  plates.  The  line  of  demarcation  between  two 
tints  of  different  strength  is  of  necessity  always 
visible. 

Aquatint  is  an  art  limited  in  its  resources  and  its 
expression,  but  it  is  a  pleasing  art  within  its  limits, 
with  a  liquid,  translucent  effect.  Its  more  or  less 
sharply  outlined  flat  tints  (which  may  occasionally  re- 
call faintly,  in  miniature,  the  effect  of  wings  or  set 
pieces  in  stage,  scenery)  made  it  especially  suited  to 
the  delineation  of  buildings  and  street  views.  For  this 
purpose  it  was  much  used,  especially  in  England;  the 
colored'  plates  in  the  "  Microcosm  of  London,"  on 
which  Rowlandson  and  Pugin  co-operated,  the  former 
drawing  the  figures,  the  latter  the  buildings,  being  a 
noteworthy  example  of  this  class  of  work.  In  the 
second  volume  of  this  book,  in  "  Foundling  Hospital : 
the  Chapel,"  the  wall  at  the  left  under  the  gallery 
illustrates  in  a  simple  way  the  nearest  approach  to 


134         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

gradation  by  stopping-out;  a  flat  tint  of  color  applied 
by  hand  does  the  rest.  The  hand  coloring  is  also 
responsible  for  much  of  the  light  effect  in  the  "  Watch- 
House  "  (Vol.  II.),  while  "  Fire  in  London,"  with  its 
possibilities  of  lurid  contrast  of  flames  and  the  black- 
ness of  night,  is  flat  and  shows  the  weakness  of  aqua- 
tint as  then  applied. 

In  the  plates  published  in  England  during  about 
1790-1830,  most  of  them  as  illustrations  in  books,  the 
use  of  color  was  largely  depended  upon  to  give  effect. 
Washes  of  water-color  added  tenderness  to  the  picture, 
toned  down  the  aquatint  grain  and  bridged  over  the 
sometimes  harsh  transition  from  dark  to  light.  In 
a  word,  they  brought  harmony  into  the  whole.  J.  M. 
W.  Turner  and  Thomas  Girtin  both  spent  some  time 
as  boy  apprentices  in  laying  even  washes  on  aquatints 
for  publishers  such  as  Melton  and  Dayes.1 

Aquatint  itself  has  a  certain  resemblance  to  water- 
color  or  sepia  washes.  This  was  probably  felt  by  its 
supposed  inventor,  Le  Prince,  who  employed  it  to 
reproduce  in  facsimile  some  wash  drawings  made  by 
him  during  a  journey  in  Russia.  For  several  decades 
it  served  in  England  as  the  special  medium  for  the 
illustration  of  books  of  travel,  in  which  field  it  eventu- 
ally gave  way  to  lithography. 

The  culture  of  the  picturesque  is  pursued  in  William 
Gilpin's  "  Three  Essays :  on  Picturesque  Beauty,  on 
Picturesque  Travel  and  on  Sketching  Landscapes,"  as 
also  in  his  "  Observations  on  the  River  Wye "  and 
other  similar  works  by  him  on  the  picturesque  in  other 
parts  of  Great  Britain.  In  these,  and  in  other  books, 
such  as  J.  Hassell's  "  Tour  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,"  the 

1  For  a  record  of  English  book-illustration  by  this  medium,  see  "  Aquatint 
Engraving"   (1910),  by  S.  T.  Prideaux. 


TINT  METHODS  135 

aquatints  are  printed  in  black,  with  a  tint  of  yellow 
or  brown  washed  over  the  whole  by  hand.  "  Tours," 
said  Combe,  "  are  a  fashionable  article  in  the  litera- 
ture of  the  present  day."  Richard  Ayton's  "  Voyage 
Round  Great  Britain"  (8  vols.,  1814-25),  illustrated 
with  several  hundred  plates  by  William  Daniell,  is 
typical  of  the  very  best  that  was  produced  in  aqua- 
tints for  such  books  of  travel.  The  plates  are  all 
colored  by  hand  in  washes  of  quiet  tints,  mingling 
with  the  aquatint  into  one  effect,  so  that  in  the  more 
delicate  portions  of  the  plate  only  close  scrutiny  will 
disclose  the  part  played  by  each.  Particularly  is  this 
true  of  the  skies,  which  are  handled  with  remarkable 
cleverness.  The  tender  fleeciness  of  cloud  in  "  The 
Reculvers "  or  "  Dover,  from  Shakespeare's  Cliff " 
(both  in  Vol.  VII.)  ;  the  frequent  stretches  of  placid 
reflecting  water,  the  rushing  swells  and  whirling  spray 
of  "  Kinnaird  Head,  Aberdeenshire  "  (Vol.  VI.);  the 
clean,  neat,  toy-house  view  of  "  Edinburgh  from  the 
Calton  Hill"  (Vol.  VI.);  and  the  plate  following 
it,  with  sun-streaked  cloud,  "  Edinburgh,  with  Part 
of  the  North  Bridge  and  Castle,"  are  object-lessons, 
picked  at  random,  almost,  in  the  art  of  getting  the 
most  out  of  a  combination  of  a  mechanical  ground, 
variegated  by  stopping-out,  and  washes  of  water-color. 
They  seem  to  mark  the  limit  of  attainment. 

To  these  works  on  picturesque  natural  beauties  and 
architectural  antiquities,  there  are  to  be  added  also 
many  dealing  more  directly  with  the  life,  manners 
and  dress  of  various  peoples.  Such  are  the  quarto 
volumes  on  costumes  in  Early  Britain,  Austria,  Russia, 
China,  Turkey  and  other  lands,  which  will  not  be 


136         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

wanting  to-day  in  any  good  collection  of  books  on  cos- 
tume. And  there  were  publications  on  field  sports,  a 
subject  dear  to  the  British  heart.  Some  of  these  were 
illustrated  by  Henry  Alken,  whose  work  is  much 
sought  after  by  lovers  of  sporting  prints.  But  the 
use  of  etching  alone  in  combination  with  hand- 
coloring  often  takes  the  place  of  the  aquatint  plate. 
Cheapness  and  expedition  may  have  had  something  to 
do  with  this.  Separate  sporting  prints  were  numerous ; 
coaching  scenes  after  James  Pollard,  by  various  en- 
gravers, among  them  C.  Rosenberg,  who  also  en- 
graved the  "Burial  of  Tom  Moody"  (1831)  after 
John  Clark.  A  mere  mention  must  suffice  here. 

Some  publishers,  such  as  Ackermann,  kept  a  large 
staff  of  engravers  and  colorists  busy.  Martin  Har- 
die,  in  his  interesting  volume  on  "  English  Colored 
Books,"  describes  the  making  of  a  print  from  a  draw- 
ing by  Rowlandson.  That  facile  artist  would  etch 
his  outlines  on  copper.  On  an  impression  taken  from 
this  he  added  modeling  and  shadows  in  India  ink 
washes.  These  tints  were  then  transferred  to  the  plate 
by  means  of  aquatint  by  the  engravers.  And  on  a 
proof  of  this  etched  and  aquatinted  plate  the  artist 
completed  the  drawing  in  light  washes  of  color,  thus 
making  a  copy  for  the  trained  colorists. 

One  of  the  best-known  series  of  George  Cruik- 
shank's  earlier  illustrations,  that  executed  by  his 
brother  and  himself  for  Pierce  Egan's  "  Life  in  Lon- 
don," was  also  in  aquatint,  colored  by  hand.  Thack- 
eray has  recorded  the  delight  which  these  facile,  dash- 
ing drawings  gave  him  when  a  boy,  how  he  reveled 
in  the  doings  and  amusements  of  those  two  men  about 


TINT  METHODS  137 

town — "  sports,"  in  the  language  of  to-day — Tom  and 
Jerry.  J.  Malton,  W.  and  T.  Daniell,  T).  Havelt,  J. 
C.  Stadler,  J.  Bluck,  T.  Sutherland  and  J.  Hill  are 
among  the  engravers  of  the  aquatint  plates  in  the 
numerous  volumes  here  merely  hinted  at.  Martin  Har- 
die  has  with  great  industry  gathered  long  lists  of 
these  books,  with  interesting  comments. 

One  of  the  British  artists  of  this  school  of  the  hand- 
colored  aquatint,  John  Hill,  came  to  the  United  States, 
where,  among  other  plates,  he  did  the  "  Hudson  River 
Portfolio  "  and  similar  large  landscapes  after  paint- 
ings by  W.  G.  Wall  and  Joshua  Shaw.  This  is  honest 
work,  not  of  the  highest  type,  but  as  good  as  much 
of  the  English  work  of  the  time  and  better  than  a 
very  great  deal  of  it.  It  will,  however,  and  with  rea- 
son, be  always  valued  more  particularly  for  its  subject 
interest.  A  number  of  views  have  come  down  to  us 
in  which  the  appearance  of  certain  places,  especially 
in  the  Middle,  Eastern  and  Southern  States,  is  pre- 
served. W.  J.  Bennett  signed,  among  others,  a  picture 
of  "  South  Street,  from  Maiden  Lane,"  New  York 
City,  about  1834,  in  which  he  has  held  the  aspect  of 
the  water  front  when  sailing-vessels  in  long  rows 
thrust  their  bowsprits  far  over  the  street.  A  similar 
documentary  importance  attaches  to  his  two  large 
views  of  the  great  fire  in  New  York  City  in  1835, 
engraved  after  paintings  by  N.  Calyo,  a  scenic  artist. 

Earlier  in  the  century,  the  famous  series  of  over 
seven  hundred  portraits  drawn  from  life  by  Fevret  de 
St.  Memin  was  engraved  by  him  in  etching,  aquatint 
and  roulette. 

He  to  whom  complete  color  effect  appeals  will  find  i 


138         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

most  satisfaction  in  the  remarkable  color-printing 
shown  in  French  productions.  In  these  a  plate  was 
used  for  each  color,  the  result  being  harmonious  and 
pleasing  in  its  softness  and  delicacy.  The  aquatint 
ground  fairly  disappears  under  the  colors;  harshness 
of  tint  outlines  is  covered ;  all  is  graceful  and  suave. 

Coqueret,  Levachez,  Descourtis,  Sergent,  Guyot, 
Janinet  and  Debucourt,  in  the  last  two  decades  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  were  enveloping  with  the 
charm  of  color  the  coquettish  and  seductive  figures  of 
their  day,  exhibiting  the  vein  of  Greuze  and  his 
"  Broken  Jug,"  the  sentimentality  of  rural  idyls  of 
the  "  Annette  and  Lubin  "  sort,  the  stagy  bucolics  of 
such  plates  as  "  L'Amour  surpris,"  by  Descourtis,  after 
Schall,  or  the  direct  theatricals  of  Janinet's  clever  por- 
trait of  Madame  Dugazon  as  "  Nina  "  in  "  La  Folle 
par  Amour."  P.  M.  Alix,  an  able  and  diligent  crafts- 
man, is  known  to  collectors  of  Americana  by  his  por- 
trait of  Franklin  with  thick-rimmed  eye-glasses,  after 
"  Van  Loo." 

Janinet  (1752-1813)  first  successfully  applied  Le 
Prince's  discovery  to  color-printing,  which  he  im- 
proved by  his  inventiveness,  and  in  which  he  displayed 
versatility  and  resourcefulness,  rendering  quite  differ- 
ent styles  and  subjects,  after  Boucher  and  others,  with 
sympathy  and  skill.  His  portrait  of  Marie  Antoinette, 
in  a  border  printed  in  gold  and  color,  is  cited  as  a 
brilliant  specimen  of  his  work. 

One  of  the  best-known  names  in  the  annals  of 
color-printing  is  that  of  P.  L.  Debucourt,  a  master 
of  technique.  He  brought  the  processes  employed 
by  his  predecessors  to  a  high  degree  of  perfection.  In 


TINT  METHODS  139 

his  spirited  drawings,  of  which  the  "  Promenade  in 
the  Gallery  of  the  Palais  Royal  "  and  the  "  Menuet  de 
la  Mariee  "  are  especially  often  cited,  the  life  of  the 
beau-inonde  and  of  the  bourgeoisie  is  reflected  with 
some  indiscretions  as  to  toilette,  and  in  a  chaffing  vein. 
Bouchot  and  Fenaille  each  devoted  a  quarto  volume  to 
this  artist,  "  the  historiographic  designer  of  Paris." 
The  Goncourts  praise  his  work  in  most  enthusiastic 
terms,  and  lay  special  stress  upon  his  suppression  of 
the  flat  and  cold  mechanical  grain,  concealing  the 
process,  the  manner,  the  labor  which  has  produced  the 
effect,  and  which,  by  the  way,  comprised  various  other 
aids  beside  aquatint.  There  was  roulette,  for  instance, 
as  may  be  seen  in  the  flesh  portions  of  "  Les  Amateurs 
de  Plafonds  aii  Salon  "  after  Carle  Vernet.  "  The 
scenes  which  he  throws  onto  the  copper,"  say  they, 
"  have  the  lightness  of  the  brush."  "  Barriere  des 
Champs-Elysees  "  is  quite  remarkable  in  its  feeling  of 
snowy  weather,  and  delicate  and  restrained  in  color. 
But  his  best  period  unfortunately  ended  before  1800, 
and  was  followed  by  utterly  poor  work,  often  colored 
by  hand.1 

Vidal  and  J.  B.  Morret  are  others  among  those  who 
did  color  plates  of  this  kind,  the  estampe  galante  being 
much  in  evidence.  Much  of  the  coloring  appears  to- 
day in  bluish  tints,  with  a  tapestry-like  effect. 

It  was  a  period  of  various  newly  discovered  proc- 
esses; combinations  of  etching,  aquatint,  roulette  and 
other  methods  were  employed.  Hence  there  has  arisen 
some  confusion  of  terms.  "  Lavis,"  for  instance,  is 
applied  also  to  work  in  which  there  is  much  rouletting, 
more  often,  perhaps,  than  to  "  wash  etching." 

1  Reproductions  of  French  color  prints  may  be  seen  in  "  French  Colour- 
prints  of  the  XVIII  Century  ;  An  Introductory  Essay  by  M.  C.  Salaman " 
(1913)- 


140         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

Jazet  marks  a  decline  in  this  art  of  color-printing, 
as  may  be  seen  in  his  "  L'Accordee  de  Village,"  after 
Greuze,  or  his  smooth  "  La  Vie  d'un  Gentilhomme  en 
toutes  Saisons,"  after  Montpezat,  about  1830,  partly 
printed  in  color,  partly  colored  by  hand.  His  black- 
and-white  plates  after  Wilkie's  "  Le  Lapin  sur  le 
Mur  "(with  rouletting)  and  John  Burnet's  "  La  Lec,on 
de  Guimbarde,"  "  Le  petit  Oiseau  "  and  "  Les  Joueurs 
de  Dames  "  are  examples  of  the  not  very  frequent  use 
of  the  medium  to  reproduce  paintings.  They  recall 
the  use  of  aquatint  for  the  distant  mountains  and  the 
sky  in  a  stipple  engraving  of  Lorraine's  "  Midday  " 
by  I.  H.  Wright  ("British  Gallery  of  Pictures"), 
producing  a  softness  of  aerial  effect  which  the  stipple 
method  alone  could  not  give. 

J.  T.  Prestel,  a  German,  worked  up  a  method  of 
his  own,  by  which  he  produced  a  number  of  plates, 
as  did  also  his  wife,  Marie  Catherine.  Among  the 
latter's  reproductions  of  drawings,  similar  to  the 
"  chiaroscuro  "  prints  described  in  the  chapter  on  wood 
engraving,  there  is  a  rather  striking  plate  representing 
a  woman  in  conflict  with  a  man  crouching  over  a 
dragon.  The  outlines  are  heavily  etched,  and  an 
aquatint  grain  indicates  shadows  and  holds  a  brown 
tint  spread  over  the  whole,  while  hatchings  printed 
in  gold  indicate  the  high  lights. 

One  of  the  most  noted  of  English  engravers  of 
landscape  in  aquatint  was  F.  C.  Lewis.  His  "  Bridge 
and  Goats  "  is  the  one  plate  of  J.  M.  W.  Turner's 
"  Liber  Studiorum  "  executed  entirely  in  this  manner, 
the  framework  only  being  etched,  and  therefore  offers 
a  particularly  good  opportunity  for  comparing  aqua- 


TINT  METHODS  141 

tint  and  mezzotint  as  used  on  similar  subjects.  This 
print  shows  some  of  the  finest  effects  possible  in 
aquatint,  delicacy  especially.  It  shows  also  that  flat- 
ness which  has  always  made  aquatint  better  for  tones 
than  for  textures,  more  effective  in  unchanging  sur- 
faces than  in  gradations,  more  useful  in  combination 
with  other  methods  than  alone. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  aquatint  was  used  to  gain 
tenderness  for  the  sky  in  several  of  the  plates  of  the 
"  Liber,"  the  rest  of  the  plate  being,  of  course,  in 
mezzotint.  Such  are  "  Dunstanborough  Castle,"  with 
the  morning  light  breaking  on  the  right;  "  The  Bridge 
in  Middle  Distance,"  "  Hindoo  Worshipper "  and 
"  Junction  of  Severn  and  Wye,"  in  which  latter  an 
intensity  of  light  is  obtained  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
sky  by  practically  white  paper. 

Some  of  Turner's  drawings  were  reproduced  in 
aquatint  at  a  much  later  date  by  Brunet-Debaines, 
partly  as  illustrations  for  Hamerton's  "  Life  of 
Turner";  and  with  quite  the  Turner  touch,  par- 
ticularly in  "  Agrippina  Landing  with  the  Ashes  of 
Germanicus." 

Lewis  reproduced  the  "  Liber  Studiorum "  of 
Claude  Lorraine  in  aquatint  (1840),  and  in  this  vol- 
ume is  well  shown  the  forte  of  aquatint  in  rendering 
the  splashes,  strokes  and  dabs  of  wash  drawings.  This 
work  is  of  a  kind  different  from  that  exemplified  in 
the  numerous  books  published  by  Ackermann,  Boy- 
dell  and  others,  to  which  I  have  referred.  It  is  the 
more  or  less  pure  application  of  aquatint,  without  the 
pleasing  and  considerable  aid  of  hand-coloring,  which 
served  well  to  cover  up  weaknesses  and  to  smooth  over 


142         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

abrupt  transitions.  Lewis's  work  brings  us  closer  to 
the  conception  of  "  painter-aquatints." 

The  term  "  painter-aquatints  "  has  a  rather  unusual 
sound,  but  the  process  has  served  as  a  means  of  pro- 
ducing original  work,  as  an  autographic  art;  often, 
too,  as  an  auxiliary.  It  was  used  by  Jacque  and  Buhot, 
artists  who  were  entirely  dissimilar  in  style,  but  both 
ever  ready  to  use  various  expedients  for  re-enforcing 
the  etched  line.  Bracquemond,  too,  master  of  proc- 
esses, used  it  on  his  etching,  "  Chemin  des  Coutures,  a 
Sevres."  Fortuny  also,  "  with  diabolical  cleverness." 

Goya  used  aquatint  in  a  somewhat  rough-and-ready 
manner  to  gain  broad  and  strong  effects  in  his  famous 
"  Caprichos."  And  similar  flat  tints  are  applied  by 
Manet  in  his  "  Fleur  exotique  "  and  "  Lola  de  Va- 
lence." Delacroix  executed  a  "  Smith  "  with  a  vigor- 
ous and  striking  contrast  of  black  shadows  with  the 
white-hot  iron  on  the  anvil. 

In  work  such  as  this  and  the  Brunet-Debaines  plates 
already  mentioned,  there  is  struck  a  note  of  vigorous 
novelty,  which  has  become  further  developed  in  later 
years. 

The  Germans  of  to-day,  ready  to  try  all  sorts  of 
processes  in  their  eagerness  for  means  to  express  orig- 
inality, have  applied  aquatint  with  effectiveness.  Alois 
Kolb  did  a  portrait  of  Beethoven  in  that  medium,  and 
it  was  used  also  for  Fritz  Hegenbart's  "  Art  and 
Mammon,"  that  weird  picture  of  a  woman  floating 
erect  and  barely  holding  her  head  above  water,  while 
below  a  hideous  octopus,  tentacles  twined  around  her 
body,  is  seeking  to  drag  her  down.  Oskar  Graf  makes 
an  energetic,  free  use  of  the  process  in  his  "  Prayer 


TINT  METHODS  143 

before  the  Battle  " ;  and  in  his  virile  "  In  the  Bavarian 
Moorlands."  Suppantschitsch  ("Holy  Grove"), 
Max  Klinger,  Otto  Fischer,  E.  Einschlag  and  Her- 
mine  Laukota  ("  Regenschauer  " )  have  also  employed 
the  process  in  combination  with  etching.  The  Eng- 
lishman, Frank  Short,  has  produced  original  aquatints, 
"  Span  of  Old  Battersea  Bridge  "  and  "  Curfew  "  be- 
ing especially  noteworthy. 

Individual  forms  of  expression  are  salient  likewise 
in  France,  in  plates  such  as  the  one  by  V.  Prouve, 
published  in  L'Estampe  Originale  for  1893,  or  in 
Auguste  Sezanne's  "  Springtime."  Aquatint  also 
serves  much  as  a  vehicle  for  color  in  French  etchings, 
as  may  be  seen  in  the  more  recent  work  of  F.  T. 
Luigini,  Henri  Jourdain,  G.  de  Latenay,  Ch.  Houdard 
and  Manuel  Robbe. 

Some  very  creditable  performances  by  American 
artists  are  also  to  be  noted.  Miss  Mary  Cassatt  laid 
a  grain  to  print  flat  tints  of  color  on  a  series  of 
etchings  of  women  and  children,  Japanese  in  effect 
and  remarkable  in  observation  of  subtly  expressed 
characteristics. 

C.  F.  W.  Mielatz  chose  aquatint,  with  occasionally 
a  touch  of  roulette,  for  effectively  reproducing  a  set 
of  views  of  New  York  City  on  blue  china  for  the 
Society  of  Iconophiles;  the  series  is  appropriately 
printed  in  blue  ink.  Of  his  original  work  in  this 
medium,  one  of  the  most  noteworthy  plates  is  a  recent 
one,  a  sea-shore  view,  printed  in  two  tints  in  one 
inking  (a  la  poupee  again),  bluish  green  above  and 
yellowish  below,  the  two  meeting  in  the  center.  There 
is  some  scraping  in  this  plate,  and,  indeed,  much  of 


144         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

the  modern  work  shows  various  manipulations  to  add 
the  effectiveness  of  delicate  gradations. 

By  James  D.  Smillie,  I  have  seen  a  charming  little 
"  Morning,"  quite  free  in  treatment,  cleverly  man- 
aged in  a  semblance  of  gradation.  And  John  Henry 
Hill,  grandson  of  the  John  referred  to,  shows  in  his 
etching  of  Niagara  how  delicately  the  aquatint  ground 
may  be  applied.  A.  T.  Millar  has  also  applied  aqua- 
tint in  some  of  his  etchings.  Helen  Hyde  laid  the 
ground  for  at  least  one  of  her  Japanese  subjects,  and 
Vaughan  Trowbridge  has  used  it  interestingly  in  color 
plates.  This  little  group  of  Americans  illustrates 
range  and  possibilities.  If  it  does  not  do  so  exhaust- 
ively, it  is  because  we  are  bound  to  find  still  more 
varieties  of  expression  through  differences  in  national 
feeling  and  local  environment. 

It  is  in  some  of  the  modern  work  that  the  process 
is  used  with  a  freedom  and  vigor  as  seldom  before, 
with  a  virtuosity  in  handling  that  is  taking  us  beyond 
the  flat  tints  of  other  days.  The  inquiring,  experi- 
mentative  spirit  of  modernity  is  forcing  new  effects 
from  this  simple  ground  of  resin.  In  the  exercise  of 
even  this  art  of  limited  resources  and  little  flexibility, 
individual  talent  and  originality  have  found  a  variety 
in  expression  that  can  be  appreciated  in  its  totality 
only  by  taking  in  the  work  of  various  men  and  lands. 
Forced  by  its  very  nature  into  a  secondary  role,  an 
adjunct  to  the  etched  line,  or  a  mechanical  means  for 
printing  color,  aquatint  has  been  raised  by  a  few 
modern  men  to  the  dignity  of  a  distinct  artistic 
language. 


CHAPTER  VI 
STIPPLE  AND  OTHER  "  DOT  "  METHODS 

ALL  the  methods  of  reproduction  which  have  been 
considered  thus  far  were  based  on  the  use  of  the  line, 
or  of  granulated  surfaces,  to  produce  tints.  But  there 
are  some  which  get  their  effects  by  the  use  of  dots. 
This  principle  was  applied  in  the  early  days  of  en- 
graving, perhaps  in  order  to  gain  a  certain  translu- 
cency  of  shadow,  in  the  so-called  "  dotted  prints " 
(Schrotblatter,  maniere  criblee)  in  which  white  dots 
show  against  a  black  background.  Not  a  little  has 
been  written  about  these  queer  and  interesting  products 
of  art  in  the  fifteenth  century.  The  late  S.  R.  Koehler, 
of  Boston,  concluded  that  they  were  executed  with  the 
graver  and  sometimes  with  punches,  in  relief — not 
intaglio;  on  metal  plates — not  wood  blocks. 

From  those  days  to  the  present,  the  application  of 
dotting  is  found,  in  various  forms  of  reproductive  art, 
down  to  its  survival  in  commercial  lithographs  and 
zinc  process  etching.  Punching,  opus  mallei,  or  work 
of  the  hammer,  was  done  by  driving  steel  punches  of 
various  kinds  into  the  plate  by  striking  them  with  a 
small  hammer  or  mallet. 

Dotting  or  stippling  was  intermingled  in  the  work 
of  the  earliest  line  engravers,  and,  as  their  art  devel- 
oped, this  dot  effect  is  seen  in  short  strokes  of  the 

145 


146         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

graver  within  the  "  lozenges  "  formed  by  intersecting 
lines,  or  in  the  succession  of  short  dashes  in  which  a 
line  is  made  to  die  out,  used  in  flesh  tints.  But  stip- 
pling as  an  art  in  itself,  forming  the  principal  portion 
of  an  engraving,  began  with  the  so-called  "  crayon  " 
or  "  chalk  "  manner,  which  developed  into  stipple  en- 
graving proper. 

The  last  years  of  the  eighteenth  century  were  a 
period  of  newly  discovered  processes.  Reproductions 
of  drawings  by  old  and  modern  masters  came  into 
vogue.  This  interest  in  drawings  was  in  itself  a  sign 
of  healthy  taste.  For  an  artist's  drawings  and  sketches 
not  only  disclose  much  of  his  method  and  theory,  but, 
being  usually  executed  without  reference  to  the  public, 
they  are  apt  to  offer  a  more  intimate  view  of  his 
artistic  personality  than  the  more  finished  products  of 
his  art.  And  to-day,  when  phototypy  (Lichtdruck, 
collotype)  renders  such  drawings  in  absolute  facsimile, 
the  treasures  widely  scattered  in  European  museums 
are  brought  together  in  close  facsimiles,  preserving  all 
the  essentials  of  the  originals.  Reproductions  of 
drawings  by  old  masters  in  the  Albertina,  the  Amster- 
dam Staats  Museum,  the  British  Museum,  the  Berlin 
Print  Room,  the  Venice  and  other  collections  have  been 
issued,  while  other  works  are  devoted  to  drawings  by 
individual  artists;  those  by  Rembrandt,  for  example, 
being  represented  by  450  plates.  The  material  thus 
collected  offers  invaluable  opportunities  to  the  students 
of  art  and  of  art  history. 

But  in  those  eighteenth-century  days  the  reproduc- 
tions of  drawings  had  to  be  engraved  by  hand,  and 
inventiveness  was  stimulated.  Wash  drawings  in 


DOT  METHODS  147 

Indian  ink  or  sepia  were  reproduced  in  aquatint.  Brush 
drawings  on  tinted  paper,  with  the  high  lights  in  white, 
were  rendered  in  "  chiaroscuro,"  which  will  be  described 
in  the  chapter  on  wood  engraving.  A  similar  effect 
was  produced  on  metal  for  some  of  the  reproductions 
of  drawings  by  old  masters  in  "  A  Collection  of  Prints 
in  Imitation  of  Drawings"  (1778,  2  volumes),  in 
which  etched,  stippled  and  mezzotinted  plates  appear. 
Line  was  used  in  some  of  Bartolozzi's  engravings  after 
Guercino.  Wide  pen-strokes  were  simulated  by  the 
aid  of  the  echoppe,  a  sort  of  thick  etching  needle,  not 
pointed,  but  cut  off  obliquely  at  the  end. 

In  red  chalk  or  crayon  drawings  on  grained  paper 
the  line  is  not  continuous,  but  is  interrupted  by  the 
grain  of  the  paper,  an  effect  that  can  be  easily  verified 
by  looking  at  any  art  student's  charcoal  studies.  The 
desire  to  imitate  this  broken  line  evidently  led  to  the 
invention  of  what  is  known  as  the  chalk  or  crayon 
manner,  which  was  so  well  adapted  for  this,  as  well 
as  its  outgrowth,  stipple. 

Stipple  engraving  served  this  purpose  notably  in 
Bartolozzi's  "  Imitations  from  Original  Drawings  by 
Hans  Holbein."  If  these  portraits  of  persons  of  the 
court  of  Henry  VIII.  are  placed  beside  the  autotype 
copies  of  the  same  drawings,  published  by  the  Arundel 
Society  in  1877,  it  becomes  evident  that,  with  their 
impertinent  intrusion  of  unwarranted  detail,  they  are 
quite  impossible. 

In  the  crayon  manner,  the  plate,  after  being  pro- 
vided with  an  etching  ground,  is  worked  with  roulettes 
of  various  forms,  which  pierce  the  ground,  so  that  the 
plate  may  be  etched.  The  mattoir  is  another  imple- 


H8         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

ment  for  this  purpose,  a  sort  of  punch  with  a  rough- 
ened under  surface  like  a  rasp  or  file.  Drawing  with 
these  on  an  etching  ground  produces  lines  that  are 
made  up  of  irregular  dots,  and  the  result  in  printing 
is  surprisingly  like  crayon  lines,  the  effect  being  a  trifle 
coarser  than  in  soft-ground  etching.  To  this  latter 
process,  the  crayon  method,  in  its  purpose  and  its 
effects,  is  akin  and  both  have  some  resemblance  to 
lithographs. 

"  It  was  the  celebrated  amateur  Comte  de  Caylus," 
says  Julia  Frankau,  "  who  first  suggested  printing 
these  engravings  in  the  colors  of  the  original  drawings 
from  one  plate." 

Both  J.  C.  Francois  and  Gilles  Demarteau  are  prom- 
inently identified  with  the  art.  Various  combinations 
of  etching,  aquatint,  crayon  and  stipple  were  made, 
processes  and  tools  and  appliances  were  mingled,  even 
wood-blocks  being  occasionally  used  for  broad  tints 
and  to  give  tone,  so  that  it  is  not  always  easy  to  unravel 
the  complication  and  exactly  define  the  process  by 
which  a  particular  print  was  produced.  That  is  ap- 
parent when  looking  at  the  color  prints  of  Ploos  van 
Amstel  or  Debucourt.  Frangois,  who  produced  ad- 
mirable copies  of  chalk  drawings,  executed  a  portrait 
in  every  possible  method.  Demarteau,  who  used  a  rou- 
lette of  his  own  contrivance,  is  said  to  have  rendered 
Boucher's  drawing  in  sanguine  (red  chalk)  to  decep- 
tion. From  this  process  the  English  developed  stipple 
engraving,  in  which  the  dots  are  much  finer  and  closer. 
This  is  really  a  refinement  and  perfection  of  the 
crayon  manner,  fitting  it  to  reproduce  other  work 
beside  drawings. 


DOT  METHODS  149 

In  stippling  the  plate  is  covered  in  the  usual  manner 
with  an  etching  ground,  to  which  the  outline  of  the 
proposed  design  can  be  transferred  from  a  pencil  draw- 
ing on  paper  by  laying  the  drawing,  face  downward, 
on  the  ground,  and  passing  plate  and  paper  through  a 
press.  The  design  is  then  executed  on  the  ground,  as 
in  etching,  with  a  point,  the  dots  being  coarser  and 
farther  apart,  or  finer  and  closer  together,  according 
to  the  strength  and  darkness,  or  the  delicacy  and  light, 
which  the  artist  wishes  to  produce.  The  plate  is  then 
bitten,  stopped-out  with  Brunswick  black  where  de- 
sired, and  re-bitten,  as  in  etching,  and  can  then  be 
finished  on  the  bare  copper,  scraper  and  burnisher  also 
being  used  for  .removing  burr  or  reducing  work. 

That  is  the  process  in  its  simplest  form,  but  in  this 
case,  too,  methods  are  often  so  mingled,  various  tools 
so  used  in  combination,  that  it  seems  best  in  most  cases 
to  enjoy  a  fine  stipple-effect  without  making  inquiry 
into  the  manner  of  its  production.  A.  W.  Tuer,  in  his 
work  on  Bartolozzi,  speaks  of  the  ingenious  devices  re- 
sulting from  the  necessity  of  keeping  up  with  increased 
demand.  "  Complicated  toothed  wheels  or  roulettes 
were  invented,"  says  he,  "  containing  two,  three,  four 
or  even  half  a  dozen  roulettes  on  one  axis,  and  these 
were  made  with  teeth  of  various  sizes  and  at  various 
distances  apart.  It  is  stated  that  no  less  than  forty 
of  these  complicated  tools  were  at  one  time  known  and 
more  or  less  used."  A  plate  in  .Tuer's  book  illustrates 
some  of  the  grains  produced  in  stipple,  that  of  the 
time  of  Bartolozzi  and  that  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
as  well  as  the  effect  of  hand-rouletting  and  the  cra- 
quele  or  egg-shell  appearance  of  machine  rouletting. 


150         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

Almost  every  engraver  adopted  a  manner  of  his  own 
in  stippling.     Then,  too,  there  were  certain  recognized 


Gram,. 


Cluster. 


Cluster  en 


Machine  roul 


EXAMPLES    OF   STIPPLE    ENGRAVING. 

From  "  Bartolozzi  and  His  Works,"  by  A.  W.  Tuer,  Vol.  I. 

styles.  It  is  rather  amusing  to  go  over  the  records 
of  these  little  formalities  and  find  that  there  were 
groupings  of  dots  known  as  the  "  cocked  hat,"  others 
called  the  "  butterfly's  wing,"  and  still  others  referred 


DOT  METHODS  151 

to  as  "  Agar's  grain  "  or  the  "  lemon  grain."  The 
last  brings  us  closer  in  point  of  time  to  what  one  writer 
calls  the  painful  "  small-poxy  "  style  of  modern  stipple 
engravings.  The  older  engravers  applied  the  dots 
with  a  free  touch,  a  looseness  which  has  much  to  do 
with  the  charm  of  stipple,  and  at  the  same  time  lies  at 
the  bottom  of  its  weakness.  In  the  modern  work,  that 
of  the  Holls,  for  example,  the  dots  are  set  down  by  the 
graver  in  formal  clusters,  with  neatness,  firmness  and 
regularity,  and  with  a  coldness  and  severity  that  was 
apparently  believed  suitable  for  the  imitation  of  stat- 
uary. Certainly  it  was  used  for  that  purpose  very  fre- 
quently in  the  old  days  of  the  London  Art  Journal. 
But  surely  the  appearance  of  marble  was  given  better 
in  that  print  after  Chantrey's  statue  of  Washington, 
by  James  Thomson,  perhaps  the  last  engraver  to  work 
in  the  older,  grained  style. 

Stipple  could  be  executed  with  great  celerity  and 
could  be  easily  learned.  Sir  Robert  Strange,  the  noted 
line  engraver,  is  said  to  have  expressed  his  regret  at 
the  extreme  facility  with  which  it  was  executed,  so 
that  it  "  got  into  the  hands  of  every  boy."  He  might 
have  said  "  girl  "  as  well,  for  Angelica  Kauffmann's 
"  Nymphs  Awakening  Cupid "  was  "  ingraved  by 
Rose  Le  Noir,  aged  14  years,  1782."  This  ease  of 
execution  undoubtedly  is  responsible  for  much  of  the 
weak  work  in  the  medium. 

Stipple  lacks  the  cohesion  and  firmness  of  line.  The 
step  from  pure  stipple  to  the  addition  of  line,  etched  or 
graven,  was  therefore  soon  made,  and  in  time  the 
process  became  itself  mainly  a  component  part  of 
methods  known  as  mixed,  being  used  particularly  to 


152          HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

give  softness  to  faces  in  portraits  done  with  the  burin. 
But  such  strongly  mixed  methods  have  generally  been 
the  concomitants  of  deterioration.  Weakness  and 
commercialism,  seeking  for  quickly  and  easily  gained 
effects,  have  mingled  methods  with  easy  facility,  pro- 
ducing plates  of  superficially  pleasing  aspect.  This 
was  especially  so  during  the  first  four  or  five  decades 
of  the  nineteenth  century. 

Stipple,  seen  at  its  best,  represents  a  quite  special 
expression  of  the  art  of  a  special  period,  and  answers 
to  a  quite  special  taste.  A  suitably  selected  and  framed 
print  by  Bartolozzi  will  make  a  harmonious  and  quietly 
effective  decoration  for  the  wall  of  a  room  furnished 
and  decorated  in  a  light  and  graceful  style,  based  on 
or  similar  to  that  of  the  period  to  which  the  print  be- 
longs. Stipple  engraving,  like  mezzotint,  is  the  out- 
come of  the  period  in  which  it  particularly  flourished, 
and  in  its  finest  expression  it  practically  ended  with 
that  period.  Like  mezzotint,  also,  it  has  become  iden- 
tified with  England,  so  that  it  has  sometimes  been  re- 
ferred to  on  the  Continent  as  la  maniere  anglaise.  In- 
troduced by  W.  W.  Ryland  from  France  into  England, 
the  art  attained  an  extraordinary  popularity  there  in 
the  second  half  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

The  name  of  Francesco  Bartolozzi  has  become 
almost  synonymous  with  stipple  engraving  in  England. 
Practicing  the  art  at  the  time  of  its  greatest  vogue,  he 
made  it  peculiarly  his  own.  In  the  paintings  of  An- 
gelica Kauffmann  and  Cipriani  he  found  subjects 
which,  in  their  sentimental  sweetness,  insipid  effem- 
inacy and  sometimes  weak  modeling,  lent  themselves 
remarkably  well  to  reproduction  in  this  manner  of 


THE  HONOURABLE  MISS  BINGHAM. 
Stipple  engraving  by  F.  Bartolossi  (1786). 
After  a  painting  by  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds. 


DOT  METHODS  153 

engraving.  This  was  because  they  did  not  strain  the 
quite  limited  resources  of  the  medium.  One  of  the 
best  of  Bartolozzi's  engravings  after  Kauffmann — 
best  also  in  the  original  design — is  the  "  Toilet  of 
Venus";  another  is  his  noteworthy  full-length  of 
Miss  Farren,  after  Lawrence.  Another  Kauffmann 
stipple,  printed  in  color,  by  I.  M.  Delattre  (1783), 
representing  three  affable  young  women  in  undulating 
drapery  pretending  to  be  allegorical  conceptions, 
throws  light  on  the  tastes  of  the  time  by  its  very  title : 
"  Beauty  Directed  by  Prudence  Rejects  with  Scorn 
the  Solicitations  of  Folly." 

Looking  over  some  Bartolozzis  again,  not  very  long 
since,  I  found  four  after  Reynolds  especially  charac- 
teristic of  the  method  and  its  possibilities.  In  "  The 
Girl  and  the  Kitten,"  the  soft  reflected  light  on  the 
face  is  noteworthy;  in  "  The  Countess  Spencer  "  there 
is  an  attempt  at  texture,  and  stippled  lines  shade  the 
band  of  the  hat  and  indicate  the  stripes  of  the  dress; 
there  is  much  of  such  line  work  in  the  dark  portions 
of  coats  and  trees,  and  on  the  stones,  in  "  The  Affec- 
tionate Brothers  ";  and  "  The  Honourable  Miss  Bing- 
ham,"  effectively  printed  in  warm  brown  ink,  shows 
that  a  portrait  with  no  accessories  is  perhaps  best 
suited  to  stipple.  This  last,  with  a  little  help  from  lines 
on  hat  and  background,  is  quite  strong,  and  as  good 
a  stipple  portrait  as  can  be  found.  There  is  strength, 
too,  in  the  same  engraver's  "  A  St.  Giles's  Beauty," 
after  J.  H.  Benwell,  a  companion  piece  to  "  A  St. 
James's  Beauty."  His  portraits  of  Elizabeth  Farren, 
the  actress,  after  Lawrence, — good  in  textures, — the 
Earl  of  Mansfield,  Lord  Loughborough,  and  Lord 


154         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

Thurlow,  may  also  be  noted.  But  choice  might  go  on, 
for  he  has  a  number  of  meritorious  plates  to  his  credit. 
And  he  did  a  tremendous  amount  of  work,  over  2,000 
pieces.  Among  his  ablest  pupils  were  L.  Schiavonetti 
(whose  unfinished  engraving  of  Thomas  Stothard's 
"  Canterbury  Pilgrims  "  is  well  known),  P.  W.  Tom- 
kins,  William  Nutter,  Henry  Meyer,  Delattre,  J.  K. 
Sherwin  and  Caroline  Watson. 

Where  stipple  invites  comparison  with  mezzotint  or 
line  engraving  in  the  efforts  to  attain  a  completeness  of 
effect  beyond  the  light  tones  with  which  it  is  so  apt  to 
be  associated  in  our  minds,  it  finds  one  of  its  most 
prominent  exponents  in  Caroline  Watson;  unexcelled, 
I  feel  tempted  to  say,  for  one  cannot  conceive  the  me- 
dium capable  of  greater  distinction  of  style  or  variety 
of  treatment  than  in  Reynolds's  portrait  of  Sir  James 
Harris  as  she  has  rendered  it.  Stipple  cannot  go  fur- 
ther in  smooth  delicacy  of  modeling  than  in  the  face 
of  this  portrait,  and  while  the  richness  of  mezzotint  is 
ever  denied  it,  it  can  hardly  approach  closer  to  that 
art  of  succulent  shadows  than  it  does  in  such  a  case  as 
this. 

Similar  qualities  appear  also  in  her  portrait  of 
"  Sarah,  Countess  of  Kinoull,"  after  Sam.  Shelley, 
which  also  has  the  grand  air  of  the  mezzotint.  While 
noted  for  the  microscopic  delicacy  of  her  rendering  of 
the  miniature  portraits  of  Cosway  and  others — as  may 
be  seen  in  "  Lieut.  Gen.  Sir  Robert  Boyd,"  after  J. 
Smart  (1785) — she  also  can  simulate  broad  brush- 
work  in  her  little  "  Bacchant  "  after  Rubens. 

J.  K.  Sherwin  manages  to  approach  the  effect  of 
mezzotint  in  the  face  of  his  "  Roxalana  "  after  Reyn- 


DOT  METHODS  155 

olds.  The  famous  and  popular  "  Angels'  Heads " 
(portraits  of  Frances  Isabella  Ker  Gordon)  by  Reyn- 
olds, has  been  held  in  a  tender  and  lovely  engraving 
by  Peter  Simon.  The  same  Simon's  two  large  scenes 
from  Shakespeare's  "  Much  Ado  About  Nothing " 
(Act  III,  Scene  I)  and  "  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor" 
(Act  III,  Scene  III),  from  the  Boydell  Gallery,  are 
quite  remarkable  efforts.  The  lace  apron  of  one  of  the 
women  in  the  "  Merry  Wives  "  scene  is  a  marvel  to  be 
found  in  stipple.  I  have  seen  impressions  of  these 
two  plates  in  colors,  done  in  one  printing,  as  effective 
as  anything  may  be  in  this  manner.  And  there 
are  two  famous  plates,  companion  pieces,  by  F.  D. 
Soiron  after  Morland,  "  St.  James's  Park  "  and  "  A 
Tea  Garden/'  which,  in  unexceptional  impressions, 
printed  in  colors,  are  expressions  of  stipple  at  its  best, 
and  an  everlasting  delight  to  the  lovers  of  the  art. 

Soiron's  "  Promenade  in  St.  James'  Park "  after 
Edward  Dayes,  and  "  An  Evening  in  Hyde  Park," 
heavily  etched  in  the  trees,  are  interesting  attempts  to 
render  in  stipple  the  things  which  are  not  stipple's,  but 
a  bit  wooden  in  the  figures  and  faces,  although  they  do 
show  vigor  and  variety,  with  the  aid  of  heavy  etching 
in  the  trees  and  other  expedients  and  manipulations  of 
dotted  effects. 

Several  of  the  mezzotinters  of  the  day  followed  the 
popular  taste  and  adapted  themselves  to  this  art,  so 
different  in  feeling  from  their  own,  and  with  some 
noteworthy  results.  Earlom  was  one  of  them.  An- 
other was  John  Jones,  who  used  etched  lines  in  the 
dark  shadows  of  hat  and  chair,  and  stippled  lines  in 
the  shawl  and  background  of  his  portrait  of  Lady 


1 56         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

Hamilton  ("  Emma")  after  Romney;  and  whose 
"  Muscipula,"  after  Reynolds,  shows  qualities  of  style 
similar  to  those  found  in  his  mezzotints,  particularly 
a  touch  of  rigidity,  a  slight  suggestion  of  woodenness, 
resulting  from  a  sweep  that  sometimes  omits  pliant 
deviation  to  note  the  slighter  variations  in  form. 

John  Raphael  Smith  also  was  very  active,  especially 
in  the  production  of  fancy  subjects,  usually  in  color. 
These  large-hatted,  be-sashed  beauties  file  before  our 
gaze  in  a  long  array,  simpering,  smirking,  alluring, 
mock-serious,  and  often  expressionless  to  the  verge  of 
inanity,  but  usually  with  a  certain  light  and  airy  grace. 
Sentimental  rusticity  is  also  apparent,  as  in  the  mezzo- 
tints of  the  time.  The  very  titles  of  these  prints  indi- 
cate the  sentiment  that  inspired  them :  "  A  Snake  in  the 
Grass "  after  Reynolds,  "  An  Evening  Walk,"  the 
suggestive  "What  You  Will,"  "  The  Mirror- 
Serena,"  "  Flirtilla "  and  "  Contemplating  the  Pic- 
ture," after  his  own  designs;  and  "  The  Tavern  Door," 
"  Rustic  Employment,"  "  Dressing  for  the  Masque- 
rade," "  Delia  in  Town  "  and  "  Delia  in  the  Country  " 
after  Morland.  All  of  them  were  printed  in  colors, 
as  were  also  Morland's  graceful  "  Variety,"  and  in- 
ane "  Constancy,"  reproduced  by  William  Ward,  who 
likewise  engraved  "  Thoughts  on  Matrimony  "  after 
J.  R.  Smith,  and  "  Hesitation,"  from  his  own  design. 
These  engravers  not  infrequently  invented  and  drew 
the  conceptions  which  they  engraved,  and  were  thus 
assured  of  the  complete  sympathy  of  their  translator. 
Their  designs  are  a  reflection,  both  in  subject  and 
treatment,  of  the  popular  art  of  the  painters  whose 
work  they  habitually  reproduced. 


DOT  METHODS  157 

The  re-enforcing  of  stipple  by  lines  is  always  done 
with  discretion  by  these  masters  of  the  art.  It  is  by  no 
means  a  "  mixed  method  "  yet,  but  simply  an  accen- 
tuation of  certain  portions  of  the  plate.  Beside,  even 
the  line  work  is  sometimes  stippled;  that  is,  the  line 
is  formed  of  dots  placed  very  close  together,  giving 
an  effect  of  freedom,  of  loose  handling,  in  harmony 
with  the  special  character  of  stipple  engraving. 

A  very  large  number  of  portraits  saw  the  light  in 
the  years  just  preceding  and  following  the  turn  of  the 
century,  plates  signed  by  H.  R.  Cook,  Ridley,  Chap- 
man and  others.  Occasionally  one  rose  above  the 
common  run,  but  usually  in  subject  interest  only.  Now 
and  then  an  example  of  fancy  printing,  brown  ink  or 
red,  or  even  two.  or  three  colors.  For  such  small  por- 
traits stipple  is  indeed  well  suited;  they  do  not  make 
too  great  demands. 

In  portraits  and  fancy  subjects  stipple  found  its 
most  appropriate  application,  its  peculiar  soft  qualities 
appearing  to  best  advantage  in  lighter  tones.  But  it 
has  also  been  employed  to  reproduce  paintings  by  old 
masters,  where  its  weakness  in  expressing  variety  of 
color  and  texture  is  more  apparent.  The  plates  in 
Tresham  and  Ottley's  "  British  Gallery  of  Pictures  " 
(1808)  after  paintings  by  old  masters,  executed  under 
the  management  of  P.  W.  Tomkins,  are  a  good  exam- 
ple of  this.  The  strong  darks  are  a  little  heavy,  a  little 
colorless;  one  gets  the  impression  that  the  art  has  been 
strained  a  little  beyond  its  bounds.  But  one  feels 
also  that  the  engravers  have  done  their  best  in  extract- 
ing from  the  medium  variety  of  expression  for  variety 
of  theme. 


158         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

The  effect  is  apt  to  be  weak  and  fuzzy  unless  the  line 
is  called  to  aid.  In  his  plate  after  Rubens's  "  Woman 
Taken  in  Adultery  "  A.  Cardon  gets  color  and  variety 
by  much  line  work  and  by  much  variation  in  the  appli- 
cation of  the  stipple.  In  Giorgione's  "  Gaston  de 
Foix,"  engraved  by  A.  Cardon,  the  sheen  of  armor  is 
produced  by  heavy  lines  contrasting  with  the  white 
paper,  while  the  stippled  texture  of  the  cloth  on  the 
attendant's  sleeve  is  rather  weak.  There  is  a  certain 
energy  in  the  head  of  the  old  man  in  "  Lot  and  His 
Daughters,"  by  Schiavonetti,  after  Guido  Reni.  One 
of  the  best  bits  of  flesh  modeling  in  the  book  is  seen 
in  the  delicate,  luminous  flesh  tints  of  R.  Wood- 
man's "  Children  at  Play  "  after  Rubens.  Garofalo's 
"  Vision  of  St.  Augustine,"  engraved  by  Tomkins,  is 
an  ambitious  attempt  at  landscape  work,  where  pure 
stipple  is  out  of  place.  I.  H.  Wright,  on  the  other 
hand,  in  his  print  of  Claude  Lorraine's  "  Mid-Day," 
gets  aerial  perspective  by  using  heavy  lines  in  the  fore- 
ground and  aquatint  for  the  distant  mountains  and 
the  sky. 

I  have  cited  the  plates  in  this  book,  because  they 
illustrate  certain  points  and  because  they  are  perhaps 
more  easily  available  in  large  cities  than  separate 
prints  of  greater  importance  might  be. 

Although  the  art  originated  in  France,  the  French 
as  a  nation  evidently  did  not  take  kindly  to  stipple. 
What  they  produced  in  that  medium  was,  as  a  rule,  not 
remarkable;  more  often  it  was  commonplace,  and  the 
coloring,  usually  by  hand,  was  in  many  cases  harsh. 
Schall's  domestic  scenes,  reproduced  in  stipple  and 
often  printed  in  color,  seem  to  have  inspired  the  en- 


DOT  METHODS  159 

gravers  to  somewhat  better  work.  Some  of  Legrand's 
best  plates  in  black-and-white  were  after  Schall.  But 
in  the  smaller  plates,  issued  in  some  number  in  Paris, 
there  is  not  much  art.  They  are  pervaded  by  the 
same  sort  of  sentiments  as  those  felt  in  the  English 
prints  of  the  time,  domesticity  and  rural  felicity,  bor- 
rowed for  the  nonce,  and  somewhat  out  of  place,  not 
even  expressed  with  French  spirit.  By  this  I  do  not 
wish  to  say,  however,  that  the  French  stipple  engravers 
kept  entirely  out  of  the  field  of  witty  frivolity.  Color 
prints  and  hand-colored  stipples  of  Bonnet  ("  Soins 
Maternels "  after  J.  B.  Huet,  hard  in  color),  of 
Darcis  after  Lavreince,  of  J.  A.  Payen  or  Legrand 
(things  of  the  insipid  kind  later  on  executed  also  in 
lithography),  of-  P.  Augrand  ("  Bonjour,  Maman " 
after  Malet),  of  Fme-  Demonchy  ("Le  Depart 
d' Adonis  pour  la  Chasse "  after  Monsian),  have 
usually  little  merit  but  that  of  a  certain  rarity,  at  least 
in  America.  Their  interest  is  principally  that  of  all 
pictorial  records  to  the  student  of  what  we  may  call 
comparative  art. 

But  there  are  some  exceptions  to  the  rule,  notably 
certain  large  prints,  which  are  not  only  done  in  per- 
haps as  pure  stipple  as  you  can  expect,  but  which  are 
also  examples  of  noteworthy  success  in  the  expression 
of  textures,  usually  a  weak  point  in  stipple.  A  satin 
gown  is  not  often  so  well  done  in  a  stipple  engraving 
as  in  "  Le  Bouquet  Inattendu  "  by  H.  Gerard  after 
Mile.  Gerard,  eleve  de  Fragonard,  or  "  Le  Baiser  a 
la  Derobee,"  by  N.  F.  Regnault,  who  engraved  also 
Fragonard's  "  La  Fontaine  d'Amour." 

The  matter  of  mixed  methods  is  well  exemplified  in 


160          HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

engravings  such  as  "  Le  Triomphe  de  Minette,"  after 
Mile.  Gerard,  by  Vidal,  who  seems  to  have  used  stipple, 
line,  roulette,  aquatint  and  what  not  on  the  same  plate. 
J.  de  Longueil's  color  prints  show  traces  of  stipple,  rou- 
lette and  aquatint.  These  are  instances  of  a  mixture 
of  methods  such  as  the  Frenchmen  used  also  in  their 
colored  aquatints. 

One  is  not  likely  to  see  much  of  the  French  color 
work  in  America.  Nor  are  German  color  prints  easy 
to  find.  One  may  come  across  a  few  in  some  private 
collection,  perhaps  some  of  those  by  Heinrich  Sintze- 
nich,  who  studied  with  Bartolozzi,  issued  in  1782  or 
'84.  They  will  probably  prove  to  be  about  on  a  level 
with  the  ordinary  average  of  the  smaller  French  color 
prints,  but  more  restrained  in  color,  and  rather  better 
in  its  application. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  American  Republic,  Edward 
Savage  and  David  Edwin  did  some  stipple  por- 
traits. Later,  toward  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  came  machine-like  regularity  of  dotting 
and  the  mixed  method,  but  a  little  earlier  than 
that  there  was  issued  purer  stipple  work  of  a 
rather  heavy  kind,  as  in  the  "  National  Portrait 
Gallery  "  of  1834,  and  in  larger  plates,  from  which 
J.  B.  Longacre's  "  W.  H.  Harrison  "  stands  out  with 
refreshing  virility. 

If  I  cannot  show  a  violent  and  full  enthusiasm  in 
summarizing  this  chapter  on  stipple,  it  is  simply  be- 
cause the  field  of  this  art  is  limited.  It  is  a  significant 
fact  that  it  has  not  served  as  a  "  painter  art,"  as  a 
direct  form  of  expression  for  artists.  The  portraits 
by  Bartolozzi  and  Caroline  Watson,  which  have  been 


DOT  METHODS  161 

noted,  show  that  the  mellow  grace,  the  gentle  charm 
of  indefiniteness,  the  delicately  grained  tones  of  this 
art  can  be  utilized  well  without  descending  to  the  sim- 
pering prettiness  or  amateurish  puerility  which  has 
unfortunately  too  often  characterized  its  practice,  and 
has  accented  a  certain  anaemia.  They  show  a  realiza- 
tion of  what  was  best  in  this  medium. 


CHAPTER  VII 
WOOD  ENGRAVING 

THE  art  of  the  wood  engraver  has  always  been  more 
or  less  close  to  the  people,  so  much  so  that  even  to-day 
the  average  man  will  refer  to  a  newspaper  illustration 
(reproduced  by  photographic  methods)  as  a  woodcut. 
Cheapness  no  doubt  had  much  to  do  with  the  use  of  the 
wood  block  as  a  means  of  expression  of  "  art  for  the 
people." 

"  Its  influence,"  says  George  E.  Woodberry  (in  his 
"History  of  Wood  Engraving"),  "was  one,  and  by 
no  means  the  most  insignificant,  of  the  great  forces 
which  were  to  transform  mediaeval  into  modern  life, 
to  make  the  civilization  of  the  heart  and  brain  no  longer 
the  exclusive  blessing  of  a  few  among  the  fortunately 
born,  but  a  common  blessing." 

As  a  record  of  the  manners  and  ideas  of  those  early 
days  it  is  invaluable.  Certainly  it  remained  such  a 
means,  from  the  time  of  the  early  block-book  "  Biblia 
pauperum,"  or  "  Bible  of  the  Poor,"  abridgments  of 
Bible  history  issued  for  the  instruction  of  common 
people,  until  photomechanical  methods  late  in  the  nine- 
teenth century  offered  still  greater  advantages  in  speed, 
cheapness  and  adaptability.  Even  when  wood  engrav- 
ing was  almost  forgotten  in  the  eighteenth  century, 
when  line  engraving  in  France  was  keeping  record  of 

162 


WOOD  ENGRAVING  163 

elegant  gayety,  and  mezzotint  and  stipple  in  England 
were  mirroring  the  dignity  and  grace  of  high  life  and 
the  languid  affectation  of  taste,  wood  engraving  served 
for  the  common  people,  barely  keeping  alive  in  often 
incredibly  rude  form  in  chap-books  and  similar  pop- 
ular literature  well  into  the  nineteenth  century.  And 
when,  in  that  century,  its  time  came  again,  it  was  for 
years  the  main  medium  for  the  dissemination  of  art 
through  the  illustrated  press  and  in  books  as  well,  not 
to  forget  its  long  use  for  school-book  illustration  in  the 
United  States.  In  fact,  a  history  of  wood  engraving 
is  practically  a  history  of  book-illustration.  Its  devel- 
opment eventually  led  to  a  craftsmanship  so  remarkable 
as  to  give  rise  to-  the  objection  that  the  art  had  been 
forced  beyond  its  province.  After  that,  it  was  almost 
entirely  supplanted  by  the  processes  of  the  camera. 

One  cause  of  the  cheapness  of  wood  engraving  as 
compared  with  engraving  on  copper  was  that  it  could 
be  printed  simultaneously  with  the  letter-press.  This 
is  because  it  is,  like  typography,  a  relief  process.  _Just 
as  the  body  of  the  type  rises  above  its  base  or  shank, 
so  does  the  engraved  design  on  a  wood  block  stand 
out  in  relief  above  the  surrounding  surface.  The 
block  has  therefore  simply  to  be  made  type-high,  so 
that  the  top  of  the  lines  in  relief  is  on  the  same  level 
as  the  top  of  the  types,  in  order  that  both  may  be 
locked  in  the  same  type-form  and  printed  from  at  the 
same  time.  This  would  be  impossible  with  metal 
plates  in  which  the  lines  are  cut  in  intaglio,  appearing 
as  channels  instead  of  ridges. 

The  essential  difference  between  the  relief  and  the 
intaglio  processes  is  this :  In  the  first,  everything  is  cut 


164         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

away  except  what  is  to  hold  ink  for  printing;  in  the 
second,  nothing  is  cut  away  except  grooves  to  hold  ink. 
By  the  relief  method,  the  engraver  cuts  around  his 
lines,  leaving  them  in  relief,  and  digging  channels 
where  white  spaces  are  to  appear  in  the  engraving. 
By  the  intaglio  method,  the  engraver  traces  his  lines 
by  digging  out  channels  into  which  ink  will  be  rubbed 
to  show  in  the  printing,  leaving  the  rest  of  the  plate 
untouched. 

Wood  engraving  is  an  art  of  the  line.  From  the 
beginning,  and  for  centuries  after,  it  was  a  facsimile 
art;  it  reproduced  exactly  a  line  drawing  executed  on 
the  block.  If  the  drawing  was  made  in  washes  with 
the  brush,  the  engraver  still  translated  it  into  lines. 
But  eventually,  in  the  nineteenth  century,  the  art  de- 
veloped into  one  of  tones,  in  which  the  line  did  not 
have  the  same  prominence  as  in  the  days  of  Diirer  or 
Holbein.  It  was  the  "  white  line  "  which  made  this 
possible.  As  we  have  seen,  in  wood  engraving  the 
surface  prints,  not  the  groove  cut  by  knife  or  graver. 
If  a  block  untouched  by  the  graver  were  inked,  an 
impression  taken  from  it  would  show  a  solid  black. 
Cut  a  groove  into  this  same  block  before  inking  and 
printing,  and  the  result  on  paper  will  be  a  solid  black 
interrupted  by  a  white  line  where  there  was  no  surface 
to  hold  the  ink.  It  is  the  adoption  and  adaptation  of 
this  principle  of  the  white  line  which  forms  the  foun- 
dation of  the  modern  method  of  producing  tones  by 
the  wood  block,  a  method  developed  with  especial  vir- 
tuosity in  the  United  States. 

The  principle  of  relief  printing  was  applied  long 
before  the  Europeans,  early  in  the  fifteenth  century, 


WOOD  ENGRAVING  165 

began  to  take  impressions  from  engraved  wood  blocks. 
The  Egyptians,  Greeks  and  Romans  used  stamps  to 
impress  letter  or  marks  on  pottery.  The  Hindus  are 
said  to  have  known  the  art  of  printing  colored  designs 
on  textiles,  an  art  known  in  Europe  in  the  Middle 
Ages,  and  which  is  taught  in  some  of  the  public  schools 
to-day  as  "  block  printing."  And  the  Chinese  have 
been  credited  with  being  the  first  to  print  pictures  from 
wood  blocks.  However,  the  art  of  engraving  pictures 
on  wood  for  the  purpose  of  taking  impressions  there- 
from dates  back  in  Europe  to  the  beginning  of  the 
fifteenth  century.  A  remarkably  interesting  review 
of  wood  engraving  as  a  facsimile  art,  and  at  the  same 
time,  of  the  art  of  designing  for  this  purpose,  is  given 
in  the  200  plate's  which  make  up  the  volume  entitled 
"  Meister  Holzschnitte  aus  vier  Jahrhunderten,"  ed- 
ited by  Georg  Hirth  and  Richard  Muther  (1893). 
Here  can  be  followed,  in  convenient  form,  the  devel- 
opment of  the  art  from  about  1410  to  about  1850; 
from  its  first  rude  stammerings  through  the  period 
of  its  fine  achievement  in  the  sixteenth  century,  its 
decline  in  the  seventeenth,  decay  in  the  eighteenth,  and 
finally  a  suggestion  of  the  end,  when  this  art  of  the 
pure  line  gave  way  to  the  art  of  tones  and  color  values. 

The  famous  old  woodcut  of  St.  Christopher  bearing 
the  Christ-child  across  the  water,  and  dated  1423,  is 
usually  accepted  as  the  first  dated  one. 

The  earliest  woodcuts  were  separately  issued,  but 
the  use  of  the  art  in  book-illustration  soon  began. 
Both  in  the  block  books,  in  which  pictures  and  text 
were  cut  out  in  relief  on  the  same  block,  and  in  books 
printed  with  movable  type.  This  very  early  work 


1 66         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

was  rough  and  uncouth,  but  with  all  its  poor  drawing, 
ludicrous  perspective  and  quaint  stiffness  it  often  evi- 
denced a  certain  shrewd  observation,  a  homely  force 
in  noting  characteristics.  In  Sebastian  Brandt's 
"  Ship  of  Fools  "  these  qualities  are  mixed  with  a  vein 
of  humor.  In  the  solemnity  of  the  prints  illustrating 
the  "  Ars  Moriendi  "  the  humorous  effect  is  not  in- 
tended and  is  simply  the  result  of  poor  drawing  and 
naive  expression.  These  are  human  documents,  and 
as  art  products  they  also  have  solely  a  historical  in- 
terest. At  first,  the  woodcuts  were  executed  in  outline, 
in  the  earliest  work  simply  a  guide  to  the  illuminator 
who  colored  them  by  hand.  Next  came  indications  of 
shadow  by  means  of  parallel  lines,  finally  cross-hatch- 
ing (lines  crossing  each  other  to  mark  shadow  or  local 
color)  was  adopted. 

Cross-hatching,  when  executed  on  copper  plates, 
where  the  lines  are  incised,  offers  no  special  difficulty. 
In  wood  engraving,  on  the  other  hand,  where  the  lines 
are  cut  in  relief,  the  effect  can  be  given  only  by  labo- 
riously gouging  out  the  diamond-shaped  spaces  be- 
tween the  intersections. 

Cross-hatching  appears  first  in  Breydenbach's 
"Voyage  to  the  Holy  Land"  (1486),  with  its  clever 
illustrations  by  Erhard  Reuwich  of  Utrecht.  It  was 
more  extensively  employed  to  obtain  shadow  and  color 
values  (that  is,  the  difference  of  tone  to  indicate  dif- 
ference of  local  color  and  texture)  in  the  Nuremburg 
"  Chronicle."  The  illustrations  in  this  were  drawn  by 
Michael  Wolgemuth,  the  master  of  Albrecht  Diirer, 
and  by  Pleydenwurff,  and  printed  in  black  and  white, 
without  being  afterward  colored  by  hand,  a  method 


WOOD  ENGRAVING  167 

which  hitherto  had  evidently  been  considered  an  indis- 
pensable aid  to  the  imagination  in  Germany,  though  not 
in  Italy.  This  period  of  the  "  incunabula,"  or  books 
published  before  1500,  is  rich  in  illustrated  works. 
The  cuts  were  executed  with  much  realism  and  with 
the  customary  application  of  local  conditions  to  the 
most  various  events,  so  that  the  stories  of  the  Old 
and  New  Testament,  for  instance,  are  enacted  by  per- 
sonages who,  in  dress  and  other  characteristics,  are 
quite  evidently  Germans  of  the  fifteenth  century.  The 
present  interest  of  all  this  is  mainly  antiquarian,  but 
its  importance  at  the  time  as  a  factor  in  civilization 
was  very  considerable.  These  prints  were  distinctly 
aimed  at  the  people  who  could  not  read,  and  whose 
understanding  would  thus  have  to  be  aided  by  pictures. 
Diirer  is  the  first  great  master  of  wood  engraving, 
and  one  of  the  greatest  names  in  the  records  of  the 
art  at  any  time.  With  him  the  art  came  of  age,  so  to 
speak.  "  He  lifted  it,  a  mechanic's  trade,  into  the  serv- 
ice of  high  imagination  and  vigorous  intellect,  and 
placed  it  among  the  fine  arts."  One  notes  in  his  en- 
gravings on  copper  a  tendency  to  over-elaboration 
which  is  not  so  apparent  here.  There  is,  indeed,  def- 
initeness  of  statement,  but  it  is  limited  in  accordance 
with  the  nature  of  the  medium.  Diirer  fully  under- 
stood the  essential  difference  between  the  limits  set  for 
the  artist  by  copper  and  wood,  respectively.  Compar- 
ison of  his  engravings  on  metal  and  his  woodcuts 
shows  that  clearly.  With  all  attention  to  detail  there 
is  in  the  latter  a  bigness,  freedom  and  vigor  that  is  in 
accord  with  the  character  of  the  material  used.  When 
his  work  is  judged  in  the  light  of  his  time  and  with 


i68         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

an  open  eye  to  the  emotion,  the  feeling,  the  men- 
tal power  that  lie  behind  it  all,  he  looms  up  indeed 
"  as  an  embodiment  of  the  German  Renaissance." 
The  artistic  virtues  in  his  work  are  positive  and 
unmistakable.  Breadth  and  boldness  of  line,  ap- 
propriateness in  adjustment  to  both  the  limits 
and  possibilities  of  the  art  of  facsimile  wood  engrav- 
ing, a  vigor  which  is  comparatively  seldom  re-enforced 
by  cross-hatching.  It  is  these  elements  of  craftsman- 
ship, of  adaptation  of  end  to  means,  of  artistic  hon- 
esty, of  supreme  expression  of  contemporary  spirit  and 
local  feeling,  which  long  remained  an  inspiration  to 
German  art.  His  woodcuts  are  very  numerous,  and  in- 
clude the  "  Apocalypse  of  St.  John,"  "  Life  of  the  Vir- 
gin," the  "  Small  "  and  the  "  Large  "  "  Passion,"  and 
the  gorgeous  "  Triumphal  March  of  the  Emperor  Max- 
imilian," an  exuberant  display  of  the  feudal  spirit,  de- 
signed partly  by  him  but  mostly  by  Burgkmaier  ( 1475- 
1529).  The  latter  artist  executed  drawings  for  the 
"  Weiss  Kunig,"  a  sort  of  poetical  autobiography  of 
Maximilian,  and  another  poem  by  that  romantic  and 
picturesque  emperor,  "  Theurdanck,"  was  illustrated 
mainly  by  Hans  Schauffelein  (1490-1539),  this  group 
of  artists  glorifying  the  dying  spirit  of  chivalry.  In 
these  works  we  find  the  true  beginning  of  artistic  book- 
illustration  in  Germany.  These  men  understood  the 
material  on  which  they  worked,  and  used  cross-hatch- 
ing with  restraint.  Contemporary  with  these  artists 
were  Lucas  Cranach  (1472-1553),  Nicolas  Manuel 
(1484-1530),  Urs  Graf,  a  spirited  draughtsman,  who 
sometimes  introduced  the  refined  technical  nuance  of 
putting  his  figures  in  white  lines  on  a  black  ground; 


WOOD  ENGRAVING  169 

Hans  Baldung  Grien  (1475-1552),  and  Jost  Amman 
(1539-1591).  These  men  primarily  drew  on  the  wood 
for  others  to  engrave  their  designs. 

As  Durer  and  Burgkmaier  and  others,  by  their  in- 
telligent development  of  the  art,  helped  to  raise  it 
from  craftsmanship,  or  rather  tradesmanship,  the 
woodcutters  themselves  were  naturally  advanced  in 
the  process  and  began  to  become  known,  so  that  in 
time  not  only  the  designer,  but  the  engraver  as  well, 
signed  the  block. 

At  the  same  time,  the  field  of  the  art  broadened  be- 
yond the  limits  of  religious  expression  which  had  at 
first  bounded  it,  and  was  devoted  also  to  the  delinea- 
tion of  scenes  in  the  life  of  the  common  people.  The 
activity  of  the  so-called  "  little  masters  "  (Altdorfer, 
the  Behams,  etc.)  in  this  domain  is  spoken  of  more 
fully  in  the  chapter  on  line  engraving.  In  work  such 
as  this  the  spirit  of  the  age  is  revealed  with  remark- 
able variety. 

A  great  name  in  the  annals  of  wood  engraving,  in 
the  records  of  all  art,  is  that  of  Hans  Holbein,  an 
artist  of  whom  it  is  has  been  said  that  he  was  "  neither 
German  nor  Italian,  neither  classical  nor  mediaeval." 
He  stands  out  from  and  above  his  contemporaries  of 
the  sixteenth  century,  "the  first  modern  artist."  He 
eventually  became  painter  at  the  court  of  England,  and 
left  beside  his  paintings  a  remarkable  series  of  charac- 
teristic portrait  drawings  of  English  men  and  women. 
As  a  designer  for  wood  engravers,  he  produced  two  of 
the  finest  achievements  of  the  art,  the  "  Dance  of  Death  " 
(1538)  engraved  by  Hans  Liitzelburger,  and  "  Figures 
of  the  Bible."  His  realism  is  paired  with  taste,  so 


i  ;o 


HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 


that  he  avoids  the  grotesqueness  of  those  German 
artists  who  indiscriminatingly  set  down  both  the  lovely 
and  the  ugly.  He  did  not  crowd  his  pictures  with  a 
plethora  of  suggestive  accessories,  but  preserved  a 
unity  of  purpose  and  attained  directness  of  result 

through  simplici- 
ty, through  econo- 
my of  labor.  The 
''Dance  of 
Death,"  a  subject 
that  has  had  its 
fascination  for 
many  a  n  artist, 
down  to  the  nine- 
teenth -century 
German,  Alfred 
Rethel,  was  treat- 
ed by  him  with 
human  sympathy 
and  humor  and 
with  occasional 
satire.  He  repre- 
sented Death  all- 
leveling,  attend- 
ing the  preacher  in  the  pulpit,  driving  the  plowman's 
horses,  snuffing  the  nun's  candle,  pouring  out  the  wine 
for  the  king,  lurking  behind  the  worldly-minded  pope. 
And  all  in  good  taste.  What  a  difference  between  this 
and  the  visions  that  some  earlier  artists  had  of  similar 
scenes.  All  drawn,  too,  with  the  same  sureness  and 
control  of  the  resources  of  the  block;  little  cross-hatch- 
ing, no  wasted  lines,  every  stroke  telling  with  a  vigor 


A  CUT  FROM  HOLBEIN'S  "  DANCE  OF 

DEATH." 


WOOD  ENGRAVING  171 

and  directness  which,  as  Ruskin  and  others  have 
pointed  out,  makes  it  quite  unimportant  whether  skel- 
eton Death  has  the  correct  number  of  ribs  or 
not. 

In  the  Lowlands,  Lucas  van  Leyderi,  Hendrik  Golt- 
zius,  Christoph  van  Sichem,  and  particularly  Cristoph 
Jeghers  (1620-1660),  who  reproduced  the  bold  energy 
of  some  large  drawings  by  Rubens  with  a  free  and 
effective  touch,  are  among  those  who  followed  the 
pioneers  of  the  art.  "  Hercules  in  Conflict  with  Envy 
and  Discord  "  is  an  excellent  example  of  the  vigor  of 
Jeghers's  works  after  Rubens,  who,  himself,  has 
practically  set  the  stamp  of  his  approval  on  them  by 
the  legend  "  P.  P.  Rubens  delineavit  et  excudit."  The 
earlier,  fifteenth-century  workers  are  dealt  with  in  de- 
tail in  William  Martin  Conway's  "  Woodcutters  of  the 
Netherlands  in  the  Fifteenth  Century  "  (1884). 

What  strikes  one  when  turning  to  Italian  work  of 
this  period  is  that  there  is  less  attempt  at  characteri- 
zation than  in  the  German  cuts,  less  uncouth  vigor, 
but  more  grace,  more  attention  to  beauty  of  line,  more 
ornamental  quality.  Expressed  in  a  somewhat  ele- 
mentary manner,  but  expressed  nevertheless.  "  In 
Germany,"  says  Lippmann,  in  his  "  Art  of  Wood 
Engraving  in  Italy  in  the  Fifteenth  Century,"  "the 
proper  function  of  book-illustration  was  instruction; 
in  Italy,  ornament." 

In  Italy,  as  in  Germany,  outline  was  first  used,  but 
the  employment  of  parallel  lines  for  shading,  and  espe- 
cially of  cross-hatching,  came  more  slowly.  The  out- 
line, little  aided  by  hatching,  was  developed  into  a 
style  of  some  distinction,  used  alone  by  the  Venetians, 


172          HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

and  with  spaces  of  solid  black  (a  device  which  occurs 
again  in  our  time  in  the  drawings  of  Daniel  Vierge 
and  others)  by  the  Florentines.  Comparatively  few 
examples  of  Italian  wood  engraving  are  known  of  the 
years  before  the  art  began  to  be  used  for  book-illus- 


ITALIAN  WOODCUT  BY  AN  UNKNOWN  VENETIAN  MASTER  OF  THE 
I5TH  CENTURY. 

An  Illustration  from  Colonna's  "  Hypnerotomachia  Poliphilii." 

tration,  and  it  is  in  this  field  that  its  development  can 
best  be  traced.  A  famous  product  of  the  time  was 
Colonna's  "  Hypnerotomachia  Poliphilii "  (Venice, 
1499),  with  its  delicately  designed  and  delightful  pic- 
tures, in  which  the  shifting  scenes  of  this  dream  of  love 
are  brought  to  view.  The  illustrations  in  F.  Frezzi's 
"  Quadririgio  "  (1508),  in  grace  and  slenderness  of 


WOOD  ENGRAVING  173 

figures,  recall  the  style  of  Botticelli.  Another  impor- 
tant book  is  Nicola  de  Malermi's  "  Italian  Bible " 
(Venice,  1490)  illustrated  with  numerous  very  small 
woodcuts,  vignettes,  intended,  it  is  said,  to  aid  the 
uninstructed  reader,  as  a  sort  of  pictorial  index,  but 
incidentally  of  decided  vigor  and  grace.  There  are 
very  many  titles  in  this  record  of  achievement,  to  which 
Rivoli,  Lippmann  and  others  have  devoted  volumes  of 
history  and  comment.  The  illustrated  books  printed 
in  Florence  alone  are  listed  in  Paul  Kristeller's  "  Early 
Florentine  Woodcuts"  (1879),  which  is  copiously 
illustrated  with  characteristic  examples.  And  the 
Prince  d'Essling's  voluminous  work  on  "  Les  livres  a 
figures  Venitiens  "  is  in  course  of  publication.  The 
field  of  early  book-illustration  in  Italy  forms  a  fasci- 
nating study  in  itself. 

With  the  sixteenth  century  there  came  also  more 
separate  prints,  not  executed  for  book-illustration, 
larger  in  size  and  bolder  and  broader  in  treatment. 
Those  of  the  "  Master  I.  B.  with  the  Bird  "  (so  called 
from  his  signature)  with  much  straight  uncrossed 
hatching,  or  Niccolo  Boldrini,  who  engraved  after 
Titian  and  others  with  a  swinging,  free,  though  some- 
what loose,  stroke. 

This  seeking  after  large  pictorial  treatment  and 
striking  effect  was  served  also  by  the  adoption  of  the 
"  Chiaroscuro  "  or  "  camaieu  "  method,  which  was  an 
outcome  of  the  desire  to  reproduce  color. 

Chiaroscuro  ("clear-obscure,"  balanced  light  and 
shade)  was  used  to  represent  drawings  executed 
in  a  few  tones  on  tinted  paper  with  white  body 
color  for  the  lights.  To  do  this,  a  block  was 


174         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

made  for  each  tone  and  one  for  the  outline, 
although  sometimes  this  last  one  was  omitted,  as 
in  "  The  Miraculous  Draught  of  Fishes,"  "  David 
Slaying  Goliath  "  and  other  works  by  Ugo  da  Carpi. 
These  tones  of  green,  sepia  or  bistre,  occasion- 
ally brownish  red,  were  printed  from  the  flat  surface 
of  the  block,  as  in  the  Japanese  woodcuts,  the  white 
lights  having  usually  been  produced  by  cutting  away 
the  wood,  so  that  it  would  not  take  color.  The  effect 
was  an  imitation  of  flat-tinted  drawings,  the  high  light 
standing  out  so  by  contrast  with  the  surrounding  color 
that  it  seems  whiter  than  the  white  paper  margin 
of  the  print.  In  Cranach's  "  St.  George  on  Horse- 
back "  gold  takes  the  place  of  the  white.  As  in  all 
printing  from  two  or  more  blocks  or  plates,  exact  regis- 
ter was  a  necessity.  That  is,  the  sheet  of  paper,  as  it 
passed  from  one  block  to  the  other  to  receive  an  im- 
pression, had  to  be  placed  always  in  the  same  position 
so  that  the  tint  would  be  imprinted  in  the  right  place. 
Papillon  in  his  "  Traite  de  la  Gravure  "  (1766)  shows 
impressions  from  the  various  blocks  needed  for  one 
chiaroscuro  print. 

Many  of  the  sixteenth-century  artists  applied  this 
method.  So  Ugo  da  Carpi,  both  the  Cranachs,  Hans 
Baldung  Grien  (whose  striking  "  Witches  "  is  often 
reproduced),  Burgkmaier  (who,  among  other  things, 
did  a  "  St.  George  "  and  an  "  Emperor  Maxmilian," 
both  on  horseback,  in  dark  red),  Tobias  Stimmer, 
Johann  Wechtlin,  Hendrik  Goltzius,  C.  Jeghers,  Jan 
Lievens,  Andrea  Andreini.  If  originals  are  lacking, 
excellent  reproductions  will  be  found  among  Lipp- 
mann's  facsimiles,  in  W.  J.  Linton's  "  Masters  of 


WOOD  ENGRAVING 


175 


Wood  Engraving  "  and  in  other  works  dealing  with 
the  history  of  wood  engraving. 

This  chiaroscuro  method  persisted  in  woodcuts  of 
the  middle  of  the  nineteenth  century  in  flat  tints  of 
blue  or  pink  or  light  brown.  Not  a  few  American 
title  pages  (e.  g.,  "Ladies'  Wreath  and  Parlor  An- 


THE   ANNUNCIATION. 

By  Geoffrey  Tory,  From  a  Prayer  Book,  Paris,  1527. 

nual,"  about  1850)  were  thus  produced.  And  those 
who  remember  the  old-style  theatrical  posters  may  re- 
call this  same  effect  in  a  cruder  form,  figures  in  black 
lines  on  a  background  of  one  tint,  with  heavy  white 
parallel  lines  for  high  lights.  They  illustrated  the 
method  in  the  simplest  possible  way.1 

The  activity  in  the  publishing  of  illustrated  books 

1  The  chiaroscuro  method  has  been  practiced  also  by  artists  who  have 
taken  up  wood  engraving  as  a  means  of  original  expression:  Leper-  in 
France,  for  instance,  or  the  young  Americans,  R.  Ruzicka  and  A.  Allen 
Lewis. 


176         HOW.  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

was  likewise  great  in  France.  But  it  is  only  to- 
ward the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century  that  work 
of  note  began  to  appear.  These  illustrations  of 
the  last  fifteen  years  of  that  century,  as  we  see 
them,  for  instance,  in  Verard's  "  Mer  des  His- 
toires,"  have  more  ease,  more  facility  in  execu- 
tion than  the  average  German  work  of  that  period,  are 
characterized  by  more  elegance  of  line,  more  feeling 
for  artistic  effect.  The  "Danse  Macabre"  (1485)  and 
the  books  of  hours  of  A.  Verard,  Pigouchet,  Simon 
Vostre,  Kerver,  issued  during  the  years  1480-1540, 
are  among  the  best  examples  of  this  French  work.  In 
the  effort  to  imitate  the  art  of  the  miniaturist,  outlines 
were  engraved  to  be  filled  in  with  color,  and  the  first 
books  of  hours  were  printed  on  vellum  in  order  to 
facilitate  this  task.  Geoffrey  Tory  (1485-1554),  who 
has  something  of  the  facility  of  the  practiced  illus- 
trator of  later  days,  and  Jean  Cousin  (1501-89)  are 
two  of  the  principal  artists  whose  names  are  brought 
into  connection  with  the  development  of  the  art  in 
France  during  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries. 
Its  characteristics  are  brought  out  in  the  French  edi- 
tion of  the  "Dream  of  Poliphilo  "  (1554),  the  illus- 
trations in  which,  ascribed  to  Cousin,  show  more  ele- 
gance, realism,  ornament  and  dramatic  action,  and  less 
directness,  simple  beauty  and  strength  than  the  Italian 
original. 

Jean  Papillon,  who  wrote  a  "  Historical  and  Prac- 
tical Treatise  on  Wood  Engraving"  (1766),  is  one 
of  the  last  and  somewhat  lost  disciples  of  the  art  in  an 
age  in  which  it  had  come  to  be  neglected.  For  the 
tendency  to  multiplication  of  detail  and  to  delicacy  and 


WOOD  ENGRAVING  177 

refinement  beyond  the  means  of  the  art  at  that  time 
caused  it  to  be  gradually  abandoned  everywhere,  and 
to  be  practically  supplanted,  in  the  eighteenth  century, 
by  line  engraving,  particularly  in  the  field  of  book- 
illustration,  in  which  it  had  so  long  reigned  supreme. 

A  new  impulse  came  from  England,  where  the  art 
had  not  thriven  particularly,  although,  in  the  early 
eighteenth  century,  Edward  Kirkall  and  John  Baptist 
Jackson  had  kept  alive  some  interest  in  it. 

Thomas  Bewick  (1753-1828)  was  the  founder  of 
the  new  school  of  wood  engraving,  the  school  of  the 
"  white  line,"  to  which  I  have  already  referred.  In 
all  the  work  that  we  have  been  considering  the  en- 
graver was  limited  to  a  line  for  line  rendering  of  a 
line  drawing.  Bewick  introduced  a  method  of  obtain- 
ing color  values  by  placing  white  lines  on  a  black 
ground,  placed  there  not  to  reproduce  lines,  but  to 
indicate  tone  or  color.  Or,  as  it  has  been  cleverly 
described,  formerly  the  block  was  treated  as  a  white 
surface,  like  paper,  on  which  the  designer  obtained 
grays  and  blacks  by  increasing  the  number  of  hatch- 
ings and  cross-hatchings;  now,  the  block  was  treated 
as  a  black  surface,  and  the  color  was  lessened  in  pro- 
portion as  more  white  lines  were  cut.  This  threw 
more  responsibility  on  the  engraver  than  formerly. 
The  designer  was  no  longer  limited  to  drawing  on  the 
wood  such  lines  as  he  wished  the  engraver  to  repro- 
duce. He  could  execute  his  drawings  in  washes  and 
abandon  the  line  if  he  chose;  it  was  the  engraver's 
business  to  give  the  effect  of  such  a  drawing  by  an 
arrangement  of  lines  conceived  by  himself.  In  other 
words,  the  engraver  was  called  upon  to  exercise  orig- 


1 78         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

inal  artistic  ability  and  taste.  This  new  method  was 
likewise  a  labor-saving  one.  Black  lines,  being  in 
relief,  could  be  produced  only  by  cutting  a  channel  on 
each  side;  and  if  they  crossed  each  other,  which  hap- 
pened with  greater  frequency  as  the  true  nature  of 
the  art  was  more  misunderstood,  the  diamond-shaped 
interstices  between  them  had  to  be  dug  out  laboriously. 
White  lines,  on  the  other  hand,  were  simply  engraved 


A  WOOD  ENGRAVING  BY  THOMAS  BEWICK. 
This  illustrates  the  process  and  effect  of  white  line. 

in  intaglio,  that  is,  they  were  grooves  cut  into  the  wood 
as  in  copper  engraving,  and  that  was  all  there  was 
about  it.  If  the  engraver  desired  to  cross  them,  he 
did  so,  just  as  you  would  cross-hatch  with  a  pen  on 
paper;  the  interstices  simply  remained  in  relief  and 
showed  black  in  the  printing.  In  J.  Tinkey's  "  Mount 
Lafayette,"  which  appears  on  page  183  of  G.  E.  Wood- 
berry's  "  History  of  Wood  Engraving,"  lines  cross 
each  other,  of  course — the  lines  of  the  trees,  for  in- 
stance, and  those  of  the  mountains  beyond — but  there 


WOOD  ENGRAVING  179 

is  no  cross-hatching  as  such.  None  of  black  lines,  I 
mean;  but  plenty  of  white  ones.  On  the  snow,  the 
white-capped  mountain,  the  sky.  A  look  at  such  a 
print  will  show  clearly  of  how  much  manual  labor 
the  engraver,  forced  to  grind  out  black  cross-hatching, 
was  relieved  by  the  use  of  the  white  line.  An  engrav- 
ing entirely  different  in  execution,  Pannemaker's 
"  Rebecca,"  published  in  P.  G.  Hamerton's  "  Graphic 
Arts  "  (1882),  is  a  fine  example  of  effects  gained  by 
modulated  lines — parallel  lines  varying  in  thickness 
according  as  they  run  through  shadow  or  light — with- 
out cross-hatching.  An  early  use  of  the  white  line 
appears  in  the  "  Banner  Bearer  "  by  Urs  Graf.  But 
there  it  is  used  like  the  black  line,  being  simply  a  white 
line  drawing  on  a  black  ground. 

Bewick  rendered  a  further  service  to  the  art  by  sub- 
stituting boxwood  cut  across  the  grain  for  the  planks 
of  pear  or  other  soft  wood  running  with  the  grain. 
Thereby  gaining  a  material  of  more  strength  and  firm- 
ness, yet  without  the  resistance  of  the  fiber.  In  the 
older  days  knives  were  used,  so  that  the  makers  of  the 
engravings  were  literally  "  wood-cutters,"  while  in 
these  later  days  the  graver  or  burin  was  employed. 
This  again  had  its  influence  on  the  character  of  the 
work,  for  the  knife  was  drawn  toward  the  engraver, 
while  the  burin  is  pushed  away  from  him,  plowing 
forward  through  the  wood.  In  every  graphic  art,  the 
medium  (that  is,  the  tools  and  the  substance  on  which 
they  are  applied)  both  through  its  nature  and  the  man- 
ner in  which  it  is  manipulated,  imposes  itself  upon  the 
result  to  be  attained,  in  the  form  of  certain  methods 
of  technique,  from  which  the  engraver  can  no  more 


i8o         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

get  away  than  he  can  depart  from  the  rules  of  gram- 
mar in  writing.  And  to  engrave  on  wood  with  the 
methods  of  copper  engraving  is  much  like  attempting 
to  speak  English  by  the  rules  of  French. 

Chatto's  "Treatise  on  Wood  Engraving"  (1839) 
gives  an  interesting  illustration  of  technical  processes ; 
for  instance,  the  lowering  of  certain  portions  of  the 
block  (by  cutting  away),  in  order  to  diminish  strength 
of  impression.  This  is  usually  accomplished  by  the 
printer,  in  the  process  of  "  making  ready,"  which  con- 
sists in  placing  pieces  of  paper  under  the  wood  block 
and  others  in  the  press  above  ("underlaying"  and 
"  overlaying  "  respectively),  so  as  to  exercise  unequal 
pressure,  and  thus  make  some  portions  print  more 
heavily  than  others,  lending  emphasis  or  equalizing 
pressure  according  to  need.  Printing  is  an  art  in  it- 
self, and  must  be  understood  in  order  to  obtain  the 
most  satisfactory  results.  Although  wood  gives  more 
impressions  than  the  soft  copper,  it,  too,  wears  off  in 
time,  so  that  in  our  days  an  electrotype  (metal  cliche} 
of  the  block  is  made,  which  can  be  printed  from  and 
renewed  as  often  as  desired. 

Bewick's  lasting  claim  to  fame  is  his  right  to  be 
called  the  father  of  the  new  art  of  wood  engraving. 
As  a  designer  he  was  not  great,  but  he  was  an  honest 
and  close  observer  of  nature.  As  an  engraver,  he  had 
the  advantage  of  working  after  his  own  designs,  giv- 
ing him  the  opportunity  of  rendering,  with  the  initial 
force  of  original  expression,  his  spirited  bits  of  animal 
life,  and  his  delineation  of  landscape  as  he  saw  it  under 
the  influence  of  his  emotions.  His  "  British  Quad- 
rupeds "  (1790)  and  "British  Birds"  (1797),  the 


WOOD  EN  GRAF  ING  181 

latter  referred  to  charmingly  by  Charlotte  Bronte  in 
"  Jane  Eyre,"  contain  the  most  striking  examples  of 
his  simple  effectiveness,  his  ability  to  make  every  line 
tell  and  to  waste  none. 

So  came  about  this  revival,  really  a  new  birth. 

And  yet,  while  Nesbit  and  Clennell,  both  pupils  of 
Bewick,  and  others  who  came  after,  practiced  the  art 
and  developed  it  artistically,  there  were  not  wanting 
those  who  committed  the  old  mistake  of  trying  to  make 
the  block  do  the  work  of  the  copper-plate,  who  forgot 
that  the  nature  of  a  medium  imposes  inevitable  laws 
for  its  use  which  must  be  respected.  Robert  Bran- 
ston,  who  had  been  an  engraver  on  copper,  applied  the 
traditions  of  that  medium  to  wood  engraving,  produc- 
ing hard,  metallic  effects  and  missing  the  opportunities 
of  the  white  line.  But  he  was  an  able  engraver  and 
cut  clean  and  neat  lines,  and  that  seems  ever  to  have 
been  attractive  to  the  many.  There  were  followers  in 
his  footsteps — William  Harvey,  for  instance,  for  whom 
John  Thurston  and  others  designed  in  the  same  spirit. 
The  famous  large  engraving  by  Harvey,  "  The  Assas- 
sination of  Dentatus,"  with  its  copperplate  effect  in 
excessive  cross-hatching,  is  an  example  of  misplaced 
dexterity.  In  the  United  States,  a  noteworthy  exam- 
ple of  this  tendency  is  to  be  found  in  the  Family  Bible 
issued  by  the  Harpers  in  1846,  illustrated  with  designs 
by  John  Gadsby  Chapman,  engraved  by  J.  A.  Adams. 
Not  a  few  of  these  are  so  finely  executed  in  their  line- 
work  as  to  have  an  almost  deceptive  appearance  of 
copperplates.  But  the  most  remarkable  instance  of  a 
downright  attempt  to  translate  the  methods  of  copper 
engraving  is  seen  in  the  work  of  Blasius  Hofel,  an 


1 82         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

Austrian.  In  his  portrait  of  Czernin  both  line  and 
stipple  are  imitated  to  deception. 

In  Paris,  Didot  and  other  publishers  furthered  the 
cause  of  wood  engraving  by  the  publication  of  many 
books  illustrated  by  artists  of  ability.  One  of  these 
latter,  Dore,  followed  precedents  of  past  centuries  by 
himself  directing  the  efforts  of  the  engravers  into  de- 
sired methods  of  expression.  His  training  of  Pisan 
and  Pannemaker  and  others  of  that  school  resulted  in 
a  manner  that  has  smoothness,  brilliancy  and  elegance, 
joined  with  a  rather  cold,  metallic  quality.  With  all 
their  finish,  these  engravers  knew  the  value  of  time. 
In  the  "  Deluge,"  in  Dore's  "  Bible,"  the  continuous 
lines  running  across  the  waves  mark  gradations  or 
shadows  by  being  made  thicker  or  thinner.  No  cross- 
hatching  there,  no  time  for  that;  Dore  kept  his  en- 
gravers busy  by  working  at  an  astonishing  rate  of 
speed.  They  assuredly  gave  a  highly  effective  render- 
ing of  his  illustrations  to  the  Bible,  Dante  and  other 
books,  strong  and  dramatic,  not  only  in  composition 
and  gesture,  but  in  the  suggestion  of  color  and  tone 
as  well,  in  the  bursts  of  radiant  light  in  which  Milton's 
hosts  of  Heaven  appear  or  the  pits  of  darkness  that 
yawn  for  the  lost  souls  of  the  "  Inferno."  Only,  the 
fine  effect,  the  declamatory  gesture,  the  trick  of  man- 
ner, become  a  little  monotonous  if  too  many  of  these 
pictures  are  looked  at  in  succession. 

In  Germany,  the  entirely  different  style  of  "  His 
Little  Excellency,"  the  ambidextrous  Adolf  von  Men- 
zel,  who  adhered  to  the  facsimile  method,  was  faith- 
fully reproduced  through  his  influence  over  the  en- 
gravers. A  style  which  took  no  special  account  of 


WOOD  ENGRAVING  183 

the  nature  of  the  block,  for  Menzel  simply  drew  spir- 
ited pen-drawings,  cross-hatched  where  he  found  it 
necessary,  and  for  the  rest  exacted  obedient  imitation 
from  the  engravers,  among  whom  F.  W.  Unzelmann 
is  specially  well  known.  For  the  manner  in  which  it 
was  done,  the  evidently  loyal  copying  of  his  delicate 
and  vigorous  lines,  I  hope  the  little  giant  was  duly 
thankful.  In  the  woodcuts  after  his  compatriots 
Alfred  Rethel,  Ludwig  Richter  (a  joy  to  the  sym- 
pathetic eye,  despite  his  apparent  artlessness),  Schnorr 
von  Carolsfeld  (whose  Bible  pictures  have  in  recent 
years  been  revived  for  schoolroom  and  popular  use) 
and  Moritz  von  Schwind  there  are  indications  of  a 
national  feeling,  and  a  return  to  simple  lines  and  fac- 
simile engraving. 

There  is  much  of  this  facsimile  work,  too,  in  the 
English  illustration  of  the  sixties,  in  the  service  of 
which  some  very  interesting  artistic  individualities  ex- 
pressed themselves — Keene,  Millais,  C.  Green,  Boyd 
Houghton,  Walker,  Sandys,  Tenniel  and  others.  The 
fact  that  many  of  these  engravings  were  published  in 
magazines  does  not  lessen  their  art  value.  On  the 
other  hand,  not  all  is  good,  for  the  engravers  got  into 
bad  habits  of  carelessness,  of  "  near  enough "  fac- 
simile, as  Linton  called  it.  The  Dalziels,  because  of 
their  very  prominence  and  of  the  good  work  they  did, 
as  in  Birket  Foster's  "  Pictures  of  English  Land- 
scape," have  been  especially  berated  for  their  short- 
comings in  this  respect,  and  we  have  stories  of  Leech, 
Rossetti  and  other  artists  who  bewailed  the  havoc  their 
drawings  underwent  at  the  hands  of  the  engravers. 
But  were  the  artists  entirely  without  blame  ?  Did  they 


1 84         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

not  sometimes  put  down  unintelligible  networks  of 
senseless  and  needless  cross-hatched  lines,  with  all  that 
such  lines  implied  in  the  way  of  increased  work  on  the 
block?  Ruskin  once  figured  out  that  in  a  certain 
drawing  by  Tenniel,  in  Punch,  1863,  two  square  inches 
of  shadow  under  a  window  are  cross-hatched  with 
three  sets  of  lines,  "  in  the  most  wanton  and  gratui- 
tous way,"  making  it  necessary  for  the  engraver  to 
cut  out  about  1,050  interstices.  And  if,  in  addition, 
the  block  was  then  cut  up  into  little  square  sections 
which  were  handed  to  different  engravers,  what  could 
be  expected? 

Charles  Keene,  the  greatest  artist  who  ever  drew  for 
Punch,  and  one  of  the  most  able  of  English  draughts- 
men, showed  that  cross-hatching  was  not  an  absolute 
necessity.  But  his  delicate  lines  also  suffered  from 
these  defects  in  reproduction,  as  was  shown  by  the  fac- 
similes of  his  original  drawings  in  Pennell's  "  Work 
of  Charles  Keene." 

Meanwhile,  wood  engraving  more  than  ever  filled 
the  function  of  a  powerful  means  of  instruction.  It 
helped  to  disseminate  knowledge  by  representations 
of  objects  of  industry  and  art,  by  pictorial  records 
of  those  happenings  that  make  up  what  is  contempo- 
rary history,  by  the  portraiture  of  the  men  who 
played  an  important  part  in  those  events.  It  fur- 
nished in  caricature  a  vehicle  of  education  by  the  force 
of  satire,  or  a  source  of  amusement  by  the  display  of 
humor.  And  in  the  exercise  of  this  function  it  had 
the  benefit  of  wide  circulation  offered  by  the  periodical 
press.  For  the  art  was  promoted  by  the  establish- 
ment of  illustrated  papers  such  as  the  Magazin  Pit- 


WOOD  ENGRAVING  185 

toresque,  L' Illustration,  Illustrated  London  News, 
Graphic,  Illustrirte  Zeitung,  Harper's  Weekly  and  sim- 
ilar ventures.  Or  publications  devoted  entirely  to  art, 
such  as  Kunst  unserer  Zeit.  Such  illustrated  litera- 
ture formed  the  only  artistic  pabulum  for  people  far 
from  the  great  centers  with  their  object  lessons  in 
the  form  of  art  museums,  public  statuary  and  fine  ar- 
chitecture. And  that  fact  inevitably  influenced  the 
publishers  in  the  choice  of  works  of  art  to  be  repro- 
duced. Modern  work  usually,  figure  work  often, 
preferably  genre  pieces  with  the  point  of  sentiment  and 
anecdote  to  prick  the  laggard  brain,  and  attract  the 
careless  eye,  fine  finish  always,  as  a  matter  of  course. 
Especially  in  Germany  and  Austria,  where  Hecht  and 
others  accomplished  much  good  work,  and  where  finely 
illustrated  books  gave  opportunity  for  the  display  of 
finished  skill.  Elsewhere,  too,  as  in  that  famous  sub- 
scription book,  "  Picturesque  America,"  issued  in  the 
seventies  in  New  York.  So  the  tendency  toward  fac- 
simile line  work,  as  exemplified  in  the  engraving  of 
designs  drawn  in  line  on  the  wood,  and  the  desire  to 
express  tones,  as  shown  in  elaborate  reproductions  of 
paintings,  had  both  continued  to  be  felt,  when  the  lat- 
ter received  a  strong  impetus  from  a  source  that  was 
eventually  to  prove  the  undoing  of  the  art.  That  was 
the  photographic  camera,  which  now  became  a  factor 
in  the  production  of  wood  engravings. 

From  the  moment  that  the  artist's  design,  instead 
of  being  drawn  on  the  whitened  block  by  himself,  was 
separately  drawn  and  then  photographed  onto  the 
block,  his  possibilities  were  much  increased.  He  could 
now  work  with  any  medium  on  any  material  on  any 


1 86         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

scale;  the  camera  reduced  it  all  to  the  proper  size  for 
the  block.  He  might  use  pen-and-ink,  or  wash,  or 
body  color,  or  oils,  or  crayon,  or  anything  he  pleased. 
The  engraver  was  an  interpreter,  who  chose  his  own 
lines  to  render  the  artist's  various  gradations  of  tone, 
and  who  had  a  duplicate  photograph  before  him  to 
guide  his  eye  as  his  hand  cut  away  the  one  on  the 
block.  And  in  no  country  were  the  possibilities  opened 
up  by  this  difference  in  method  exploited  to  a  greater 
extent  than  in  the  United  States,  where  the  record  of 
noteworthy  achievement  had  previously  been  a  short 
one,  preceded  and  accompanied  by  much  downright 
mediocrity. 

Alexander  Anderson,  a  disciple  of  Bewick,  was  ap- 
plying white  line  in  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth 
century.  But  wood  engraving  did  not  have  its  oppor- 
tunity until-the  first  impulse  came  from  the  publication 
of  the  Family  Bible  by  the  Harpers,  followed  up  by 
the  issue  of.. other  illustrated  books  by  the  same  firm, 
the  Putnams  and  the  American  Tract  Society.  Good 
workmanship  and  taste  was  displayed  by  Whitney, 
Herrick,  Henry  Marsh,  who  executed  some  remark- 
ably faithful  and  delicate  transcripts  from  nature  in 
his  pictures  of  butterflies;  A.  V.  S.  Anthony,  who 
had  a  decided  influence  on  book-illustration;  W.  J. 
Linton,  a  master  of  the  art,  and  others.  Linton's 
"  History  of  Wood  Engraving  in  America  "  is  the  in- 
dispensable record  of  this  period.1 

Toward  the  end  of  the  seventies,  new  methods  were 
heralded  in  some  engravings  by  Smithwick,  and  more 
extensively  applied  by  F.  Juengling  in  the  reproduction 
of  drawings  by  J.  E.  Kelly  in  Scribner's  Monthly.  It 

JA  later  consideration  of  the  "new  school"   is  offered  in  my  "American 
Graphic  Art"   (1912). 


WOOD  ENGRAVING  187 

was  a  matter  of  tones  and  tints  and  gradations  carried 
to  the  utmost,  of  an  effort  to  give  a  facsimile  of  the 
artist's  touch,  no  matter  in  what  medium  he  had 
worked,  as  absolute  as  had  been  the  facsimile  repro- 
duction of  line  in  the  days  of  old.  The  engraver  not 
only  strove  to  duplicate  the  effect  in  all  its  details  as 
the  artist  had  produced  it,  but  he  tried  also  to  show 
how  he  had  produced  it.  In  other  words,  the  grain 
of  the  crayon  drawing,  the  mark  of  the  brush  or  the 
very  shadow  cast  by  the  heavily  loaded  streak  or  blot 
of  color,  were  reproduced  with  fidelity.  There  was 
prompt  war.  The  partisans  of  the  new  idea  were 
elated  by  this  new-found  power.  The  opponents  de- 
nounced these  efforts  as  vain  tricks.  W.  J.  Linton,  a 
firm  believer  in  the  engraver's  right  to  interpret  and 
not  copy,  with  clever  arraignment  of  indisputable 
faults,  contended  that,  even  granting  the  legitimacy 
of  the  aims,  they  failed  through  encompassing  too 
much.  As  a  proof,  among  others,  he  points  out 
Whistler's  portrait  of  himself,  by  Frederick  Juengling. 
In  the  painting  there  was  color  to  indicate  the  right 
eye,  though  definite  form  was  wanting.  In  the  en- 
graving, says  he,  the  color  is  translated  into  a  black 
surface  and  the  right  eye  has  become  a  sightless  socket. 
Yet  in  copying  Whistler's  dry-point  of  "  Riault,  the 
lingraver,"  J.  F.  Juengling  had  an  opportunity  of 
applying  the  imitative  faculty  to  line  work,  and  there- 
fore produced  a  facsimile  engraving,  an  excellent 
example  of  absolutely  exact  rendering. 

But  we  need  not  fight  the  old  battles  anew.  The 
noise  of  the  fray  has  ceased  long  since,  and  the  smoke 
has  cleared  away.  The  "  new  school "  went  on  its 


1 88 

way,  did  its  work  and  subsided,  practically  driven  out 
by  the  same  agency  that  first  established  it  on  the  high- 
way to  success, — the  camera.  We  may  to-day  safely 
admit  that  these  men  committed  errors  of  judgment, 
that  in  the  first  flush  of  delight  at  a  new-found  strength 
they  gave  vent  to  artistic  solecisms.  They  often  over- 
shot the  mark  in  the  attempt  to  render  with  their  one 
instrument  all  that  which  the  painter  had  effected  with 
differences  in  strokes  of  the  brush,  and  variations  in 
application  of  color,  and  with  the  color  itself.  There 
is  sometimes  a  feeling  of  unrest  in  these  short,  choppy 
lines  cut  in  all  directions  in  the  effort  to  reproduce  the 
swirl  of  brush,  the  burst  of  color.  But  the  almost  in- 
credible refinement  of  technique  in  this  work  is  astound- 
ing. With  remarkable  virtuosity  the  resources  at  com- 
mand were  forced  to  the  utmost  possibility  of  expres- 
sion. Time  always  eventually  weeds  out  the  bad  and 
consigns  it  to  oblivion,  while  it  holds  that  which  is 
good.  And  in  the  great  total  of  this  work  there  is  so 
much  that  is  good  that  it  will  always  be  a  delight  to 
look  back  on  this  brilliant  period  in  the  annals  of  wood 
engraving  in  this  country.  The  Society  of  American 
Wood  Engravers'  portfolio  of  twenty-five  prints  is  a 
sort  of  monument  to  this  achievement.  The  Scribners 
also  issued  a  volume  of  proofs,  and  some  fine  and 
characteristic  examples  appear  in  Linton's  "  History," 
already  mentioned,  and  in  S.  R.  Koehler's  monograph, 
published  in  Vienna. 

Many  finely  illustrated  books  were  issued  in  this 
short  span  of  fifteen,  or  at  most  twenty,  years.  But 
there  were  also  many  separate  prints,  and  the  oppor- 
tunity to  get  these  has  still  not  entirely  gone.  There 


WOOD  ENGRAVING  189 

are  the  strong  portraits  by  Gustav  Kruell,  the  vaporous, 
sympathetic  rendering  of  George  Fuller's  very  indi- 
vidual art  by  W.  B.  Closson  and  Elbridge  Kingsley's 
reproductions  of  paintings  by  Corot.  There  are  orig- 
inal wood  engravings,  too,  done  directly  from  nature, 
by  Kingsley  (who  has  sometimes  printed  in  color), 
Closson  and  Wolf.  Some  of  these  men  are  dead, 
Kruell,  Johnson,  Smithwick  and  Bernstrom.  But  the 
others  named  are  with  us,  as  are  French,  King,  Aik- 
man,  Davis,  Heinemann  and  many  more.  With  the 
exception  of  Timothy  Cole,  who  is  executing  series  of 
old  masters  for  the  Century;  Henry  Wolf,  who  has  in 
recent  years  devoted  his  talent  especially  to  the  sympa- 
thetic reproduction  of  American  paintings,  and  Kings- 
ley,  they  have  nearly  all  turned  from  their  old  profes- 
sion to  other  fields  of  activity.  Some  are  painting,  not 
a  few  have  entered  the  service  of  the  photomechanical 
processes  which  were  their  undoing,  and  are  engraving 
on  halftone  plates.  But  their  work  is  still  here,  to  be 
seen  and  to  be  had.  One  need  not  go  far  to  seek  it,  or 
to  discover  the  names  of  the  many  engravers  not  here 
mentioned.  American  wood  engravers  are  particularly 
well  represented  in  the  Boston  Museum  of  Fine  Arts 
and  at  the  New  York  Public  Library,  and  there  are 
smaller  collections  elsewhere. 

As  to  the  state  of  the  art  in  the  nineteenth  century 
in  European  countries,  illustrated  books  reflect  that, 
and  certain  art  magazines,  as  I  have  indicated.  But 
there  exists  a  very  adequate  pictorial  review  of  this 
period  in  the  form  of  the  illustrations  in  a  large  quarto 
dealing  with  wood  engraving  in  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury. It  is  published  by  the  Gesellschaft  fur  Verviel- 


190         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

f'dltigcnde  Kunst  of  Vienna,  and  is  one  of  four  vol- 
umes constituting  a  work  on  reproductive  art  in  the 
nineteenth  century.  The  text  is  in  German,  but  the 
numerous  illustrations  speak  their  own  language,  clear 
to  those  who  try  to  understand.  It  is  a  record  of 
nineteenth-century  art  which  is  not  duplicated  else- 
where, and  that  is  why  I  have  referred  to  it  repeatedly. 
It  may  be  seen  in  the  New  York  and  other  libraries, 
and  ought  to  be  in  more. 

Among  the  European  works  which  have  been  suf- 
ficiently regarded  to  be  preserved,  are  some  of  the  por- 
traits and  reproductions  of  paintings  by  the  old  mas- 
ters by  Charles  Baude.  The  fact  that  so  many  fine 
wood  engravings  have  been  widely  disseminated  in 
illustrated  periodicals  may  have  mitigated  against  the 
acceptance  of  the  art  by  connoisseurs,  who  have  pre- 
ferred the  air  of  exclusiveness  which  envelops  the 
etching  of  small  edition.  That  implies  the  rejection 
of  a  fine  work  of  art  because  by  modern  inventions  in 
printing  it  is  possible  to  put  it  before  the  people  in  a 
weekly  or  a  magazine  costing  ten  or  twenty-five  cents ! 

The  general  modern  tendency  to  tone  is  no  doubt 
partly  the  result  of  the  desire  to  make  known  and  to 
know  the  works  of  painters,  for  which  purpose  wood 
engraving  was  the  best  and  most  practical  means  at 
hand.  Certainly  the  art  of  wood  engraving,  through 
the  domination  of  this  tone  movement,  became  abso- 
lutely a  reproductive  art,  doing  that  which  is  now  done 
by  the  photogravure  and  other  processes.  Formerly, 
when  the  artist's  line  drawing  was  cut  in  facsimile, 
there  was  at  least  the  semblance  of  originality  with 
the  force  of  appeal  which  that  implies. 


WOOD  ENGRAVING  191 

Various  reasons  have  been  given  for  the  decay  of 
the  art  of  wood  engraving,  and  there  is  probably  justi- 
fication for  all  of  them.  It  is  probably  a  complexity 
of  causes  that  we  must  seek  and  not  one  single  one. 
Processes  based  on  the  use  of  the  camera,  especially 
the  cheap  and  quickly  executed  "  halftone,"  were  bound 
to  take  the  place  of  the  simpler  forms  of  wood  engrav- 
ing. Perhaps,  too,  familiarity  has  bred  contempt,  and 
the  "  shop  "  system,  if  I  may  so  call  it,  did  its  part. 
That  existed  even  at  an  early  date,  so  in  the  Venetian 
ateliers  of  the  sixteenth  century,  and  in  the  nineteenth 
century  it  became  so  developed  that  a  firm-name  under 
an  engraving  stood  for  a  division  of  labor  in  which 
one  apprentice  did  the  hair,  another  the  clothes,  and 
still  others  were  put  at  further  specialties.  The  result 
may  be  imagined.  A  sort  of  repetition  of  the  old  story 
of  the  killing  of  the  goose  that  laid  the  golden  eggs. 
If  we  deplore  the  fact  that  the  art  is  so  little  practiced 
to-day,  we  may  at  least  be  thankful  that  existing  con- 
ditions must  of  necessity  promote  originality  of  expres- 
sion on  the  part  of  the  few  who  still  receive  enough 
support  to  persevere,  men  like  the  Americans  whom  I 
have  mentioned,  or  that  clever  Frenchman,  Alfred 
Prunaire,  who  can  work  with  dash  and  bigness  and 
vigor,  as  when  he  renders  drawings  by  Daumier,  some- 
times with  a  touch  of  color,  and  whose  hand  is  capable 
of  the  utmost  delicacy  if  the  subject  demands  it. 

The  newest  development  of  the  art  of  wood  engrav- 
ing is  in  the  direction  of  original  production.  The 
movement  has  spread  to  various  countries  and  has  en- 
listed the  most  different  individualities.  Artists  are 
to-day  engraving  their  own  conceptions  directly  on  the 


192         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

block,  just  as  they  produce  original  etchings.  They 
have  raised  the  block  to  the  dignity  of  a  painter's  me- 
dium, a  means  of  direct  expression.  Painter-engravers 
they  are,  or  painter-wood-engravers,  if  you  prefer  to 
coin  a  quite  correct  though  cumbersome  term.  Pro- 
fessional engravers,  as  we  have  seen,  have  at  times 
engraved  "  directly  from  nature  "  and  produced  beau- 
tiful work.  They  approached  the  task  with  the  en- 
graver's training  and  willingness  to  fill  spaces  with 
lines,  whether  to  indicate  detail  or  shade  or  local  color. 
So  they  have  made  pictures  of  a  comparative  complete- 
ness of  effect.  But  the  painters  have  attacked  the 
matter  in  a  somewhat  different  manner.  They  seek 
the  indication  of  effect  rather  than  the  fulfillment  of 
it,  decorative  line  or  space  rather  than  richness  of 
detail.  They  use  the  block  for  the  production  of  sim- 
ple and  few  lines,  flat  tones  of  gray  or  black  or  color. 
They  have  in  general  jecognized  the  essential  character 
of  the  wood,  and  have  respected  it  in  their  manipula- 
tion of  the  block.  The  best  and  most  characteristic 
of  their  productions  are  unmistakably  wood  engrav- 
ings and  have  no  imitative  leaning  to  any  other  process. 
No  attempt  to  render  the  peculiar  snap  of  the  fine  line 
of  etchings,  for  instance.  All  honest,  straightforward 
wood  engraving.  Two  elements  are  particularly  no- 
ticeable here:  the  tendency  to  use  the  simple  line  of 
the  facsimile  engraving  of  old,  and  the  influence  of 
the  Japanese  woodcuts.  It  is  a  not  large  but  certainly 
interesting  gallery  of  artistic  types  that  passes  before 
my  mind's  eye  as  I  recall  some  of  these  very  modern 
aspects  of  an  old  art. 

The  Frenchman,  A.  Lepere,  uses  the  vigorous,  heavy 


WOOD  ENGRAVING  193 

line  of  the  earlier  engravers,  but  with  a  perfect  com- 
mand and  an  absolutely  modern  and  intensely  per- 
sonal swing,  as  in  his  etchings.  His  picture  of  Notre 
Dame  de  Paris  and  the  river,  bathed  in  brilliant  sunset 
glow,  is  made  up  of  a  combination  of  heavy  lines  and 
rich  tones. 

His  fellow-countryman,  Felix  Vallotton,  absolutely 
different  again  in  style  and  intent,  makes  a  clever  use 
of  contrast  of  black  and  white  surfaces,  a  device  used 
by  the  old  Florentines,  as  we  have  seen.  Vallotton 
applies  the  spots  of  black  without  halftones  or  grada- 
tions, submerging  all  the  darker  tints  into  black  and 
all  the  lighter  ones  into  white.  So  he  gives  us  a  por- 
trait of  Dostoievski  or  Zola,  or  a  street  full  of  people 
bunched  in  rushing  crowds. 

Henri  Riviere,  Paul  Colin,  Lucien  Pissarro  (son 
of  Camille)  and  other  Frenchmen  use  the  wood  block 
for  polychromatic  printing;  often  with  the  most  dar- 
ing use  of  color. 

Similarly  the  experimentative  Emil  Orlik  throws 
broad  spots  of  flat  color  into  impressions  and  sketches 
of  peasant  life  or  "  gossiping  women."  Karl  Moll 
renders  a  snow  effect  in  its  broad  aspect  without  at- 
tempting to  force  the  block  to  give  the  delicate  shim- 
mering shadows  which  Biese  found  it  possible  to  throw 
into  his  color-lithograph.  There  are  numerous  others 
in  Germany  and  Austria  who  are  devoting  more  or 
less  attention  to  chromo-xylography  or  color-printing 
from  wood  blocks:  Otto  Eckmann,  Adolf  Zdrasila, 
Wilh.  Laage,  Kurzweil,  Walter  Klemm,  Hans  Neu- 
mann, Hofbauer. 

William  Strang,  among  English  artists,  is  one  to 


194         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

whom  line  work  on  the  wood  must  particularly  appeal. 
Bernard  Sleigh,  C.  Ricketts  and  others  have  sounded 
various  notes  of  interest  on  the  block,  some  devoted  to 
black-and-white,  others  to  color.  William  Nichol- 
son's "  London  Types  "  are  depicted  in  a  few  tints, 
with  blacks  as  we  see  them  in  Vallotton's  works,  but 
with  a  quite  different  temperament,  both  national  and 
individual. 

And  at  the  two  lateral  extremes  of  the  new  hemi- 
sphere, California  and  New  York,  Miss  Helen  Hyde 
and  B.  J.  O.  Nordfeldt,  both  working  in  colors,  the 
one  almost  directly  in  the  Japanese  spirit,  the  other 
with  admixture  of  other  influences.  The  principles  of 
color  printing  from  wood  blocks  are  finely  expounded 
in  the  little  "Ipswich  Prints"  by  Arthur  W.  Dow, 
"  simple  color  themes,"  as  the  artist  calls  them.  * 

Japanese  influence  is  apparent  in  much  of  this,  and 
modernity  in  all  of  it.  Nationality  and  individuality 
combine  to  demonstrate  the  suppleness  of  block  and 
graver  in  prints  so  varied  in  style. 

The  influence  of  the  Japanese  is  no  unimportant 
factor  in  the  development  of  modern  art.  I  have  not 
in  mind  the  direct  and  sometimes  cheap  imitation,  but 
the  more  subtle  and  finer  influence  felt  in  many  ways 
since  Europe  first  began  to  awaken,  in  the  sixties,  to 
this  new  force  in  the  art  of  the  world.  It  is  found 
in  the  paintings  of  Whistler,  the  etchings  of  Mary 
Cassatt,  in  the  work  of  certain  poster  designers,  and 
in  contemporary  wood  engravings  printed  in  color. 

The  Japanese  color  print,  forming  one  phase  of  the 
art  of  "  Ukioye  "  (the  floating  or  passing  world)  rep- 
resents a  school  which,  we  are  told,  is  held  somewhat 

1  Ruzicka.  McCormick.  G.  W.  Plank,  and  other  Americans  are  also  to  be 
noted  among  "  painter-wood-engravers." 


WOOD  ENGRAVING  195 

in  contempt  by  the  artists  of  the  Tosa  and  Kano 
Schools,  which  are  based  upon  Chinese  classical  tra- 
ditions. I  remember  hearing  John  La  Farge  say  that 
he  found  it  expedient  to  repress  mention  of  Hokusai 
when  speaking  to  these  courtly  upholders  of  tradition. 
But  to  us  Caucasians  the  nishikiye,  or  color-print,  is 
one  of  the  best  known  forms  of  all  Japanese  art,  and 
this  same  Hokusai  stands  to  many  as  its  most  familiar 
representative. 

Chromo-xylography,  or  color  printing  from  wood 
blocks,  had  its  period  of  finest  development  in  Japan 
during  the  eighteenth  and  early  nineteenth  centuries. 
It  has  a  wide  and  varied  range  of  style  and  treatment, 
from  its  early  beginnings  to  the  decay  which  we  are 
told  was  foreshadowed  even  in  the  exaggerated  elon- 
gation of  face  and  figure  in  the  work  of  Utamaro.  To 
the  inexperienced  there  is  an  apparent  sameness  in 
all  these  prints,  but  a  little  study  will  show  that  the 
style  is  discernible  through  the  conventions  of  schools, 
and  that  the  work  of  the  masters  of  the  art  stands  out 
with  individual  emphasis.  Fenollosa  brings  this  out 
clearly  in  his  characteristically  illustrated  "  Outline  of 
the  History  of  Ukiyo-Ye."  Many  other  authors  have 
well  described  this  fascinating  art :  Strange,  Seidlitz, 
Goncourt,  Revon,  Perzyriski,  Kurth,  Holme,  La  Farge. 
Good  color  reproductions  of  the  prints  are  not  want- 
ing, and  fine  public  collections  of  the  prints  themselves 
may  be  studied  in  various  print  rooms. 

Originally  drawing  this  art  from  the  Chinese,  the 
Japanese  developed  it  into  an  intense,  immediate  ex- 
pression of  national  artistic  spirit  and  of  national  life. 
The  latter  point  is  worth  noting.  For  while  the  subtle 


196          HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

artistic  feeling  may  be  obscured  at  first  sight  to  the 
unaccustomed  eye  by  the  exotic  style,  a  frank  consid- 
eration of  these  prints  as  records  of  social  life  will 
bring  them  closer  through  the  touch  of  human  interest. 
One  becomes  more  reconciled  to  the  strangeness  of  the 
style,  the  mask-like  faces,  the  queerly-shaped  limbs, 
and  the  other  signs  of  conventionality,  on  discovering 
again  that  humanity  is  the  same  the  world  over.  In 
these  products  of  the  golden  age  of  Ukioye,  the  life  of 
Japan  stands  before  us.  Laborers  are  shown  at  their 
occupations,  coolies  dragging  burdens,  fishermen  busy 
with  nets  and  cormorants.  Toyokuni,  Utamaro  and 
Suzuki  Harunobu  depict  women  under  all  sorts  of  cir- 
cumstances, at  the  toilet,  "  opening  letters  with  a  hair- 
pin," bleaching  cloth,  dressing  the  hair,  applying  rouge 
to  the  lips,  cutting  out  a  dress,  or  putting  up  New  Year 
decorations.  Koriusai  and  Kitao  Shigemasa  show  us 
children  playing  at  "  battledore  and  shuttlecock,"  blow- 
ing soap-bubbles  or  making  snow  images.  Portraits 
of  actors  are  signed  by  Torii  Kiyonobu,  Torii  Kiyo- 
masu  and  others.  An  interesting  note  occurring  re- 
peatedly is  the  love  of  nature,  amounting  to  a  sort  of 
aesthetic  cult.  The  practice  of  going  out  in  parties  to 
see  the  cherry  blossoms  is  illustrated,  and  such  titles 
as  "  Gathering  Lotus,"  "  Peach  Viewing,"  "  Snow 
Viewing,"  "  The  Voice  of  the  Cicada,"  "  Listening  to 
the  Song  of  the  Insects,"  are  frequent.  Finally, 
"  Smoking  Out  Mosquitoes  "  indicates  that  even  here 
the  placidly  aesthetic  contemplation  of  nature  has  its 
limits.  The  "  peerless  mountain,"  regarded  by  the 
Japanese  with  loving  reverence,  receives  its  apotheosis 
in  Hokusai's  two  famous  series,  the  "  Hundred  Views 


WOOD  ENGRAVING  197 

of  Fujiyama  "  and  the  "  Thirty-six  Views."  We  see 
the  people  in  street  and  in  workshop,  at  home  and  trav- 
eling, in  an  ever-shifting  endless  series  of  characteris- 
tic scenes.  Conventionality  and  the  development  of 
technique  have  not  killed  the  vein  of  human  sympathy. 

The  art  is  indeed  bound  in  certain  conventions  in  its 
expression,  but  its  expression  is  so  summary  that  we 
are  spared  the  wearisome  repetition  of  conventional 
detail.  And  who  would  say  that  the  decorative  effect, 
the  bold  sweep  of  line,  the  construction  of  the  whole, 
the  unerring  juxtaposition  of  colors,  are  impaired  by 
these  conventions? 

The  power  of  synthesizing,  of  suppressing  unnec- 
essary details,  is  possessed  by  some  of  these  Orientals 
to  a  very  remarkable  degree.  This  results  in  vigorous, 
artistic  snap-shots,  such  as  some  of  the  familiar  dash- 
ingly-brushed pictures  of  crows  or  other  birds,  or  im- 
pressions such  as  the  masterly  one  of  a  pouring  rain- 
storm, with  figures  struggling  up  a  hillside  road  to- 
ward the  left,  by  Hiroshige,  or  some  snow-scenes  by 
the  same  artist. 

This  absence  of  excessive  finish  forms  one  of  the 
charms  of  Japanese  color-prints.  The  line  in  these 
woodcuts  is  economized,  becomes  in  truth  a  symbol, 
and  has  calligraphic  affinity.  Outlines  to  indicate  form, 
no  shadows,  no  detail  except  the  necessary;  sometimes 
even  an  omission  of  the  lines  circumscribing  spaces  to 
be  filled  with  color,  such  as  the  pattern  on  a  dress  or 
the  flower  in  Kiyonaga's  picture  of  two  women  gath- 
ering iris,  printed  in  a  flat  tint,  without  outline.  This 
outline  of  form  set  down  as  a  basis  for  color,  but 
form  and  color  offered  in  decorative  harmony,  in  per- 


198         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

feet  adjustment  of  means  to* end.  With  quiet  disre- 
gard of  all  niceties  of  execution  which  are  not  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  such  end — linear  and  aerial  perspec- 
tive, details,  expression  of  features,  and  differentiation 
of  faces.  Not  necessarily  are  all  disregarded  at  one 
time,  but  each  at  one  time  or  another. 

In  technique  these  prints  are  the  direct  outcome  of 
the  materials  employed.  Moreover,  the  means  used 
are  the  simplest  possible.  The  Japanese  engraver  cuts 
his  design  with  a  knife  on  a  plank  of  cherry-wood  run- 
ning with  the  grain,  not  across  it.  The  design  is  not 
drawn  on  the  wood,  but  on  a  transparent  paper,  which 
is  pasted  face  downward  onto  the  block,  to  guide  the 
cutter  in  his  work.  It  will  thus  appear  reversed  in  the 
wood,  and  will  come  out  right  in  the  printing.  The 
engraver  cuts  around  the  lines  of  the  design,  and  re- 
moves the  spaces  between  them  by  means  of  chisels, 
so  that  the  lines  stand  out  in  relief.  The  block  so  cut 
is  the  "  key-block,"  bearing  the  whole  design,  and  to  be 
printed  in  black.  From  this  an  impression  on  thin 
paper  is  taken  for  each  color  intended  to  be  used,  and 
each  impression  is  pasted  face  downward  on  a  block, 
after  being  marked  so  as  to  show  what  portion  is  to  be 
printed  in  the  color  in  question.  The  portion  so 
marked  in  each  case  is  cut  around  so  as  to  stand  out 
in  flat  relief.  Frequently  two  or  three  colors  are  com- 
bined on  one  block.  In  printing,  the  sheet  passes  from 
one  block  to  the  other,  until  all  the  colors  have  been  im- 
pressed upon  it.  Sometimes  a  special  effect  is  ob- 
tained by  an  impression  from  an  uncolored  block, 
which  produces  an  embossed  design  in  white.  This 
process  is  used  to  good  effect  for  delicate  patterns  in 


ONE  OF  THE  HUNDRED  VIEWS  OF  FUJIYAMA. 

By   Hokusai. 
(C.   S.    Smith  collection,   New   York   Public  Library.) 


WOOD  ENGRAVING  199 

garments,  clouds,  white  shells  or  water.  All  of  that 
does  not  sound  very  complicated.  But  in  the  first  place 
the  method  of  taking  an  impression  by  means  of  a  hard, 
little  shield,  known  as  a  "  baren,"  which  is  rubbed  over 
the  back  of  the  paper  laid  down  on  the  wood-block 
(they  did  much  the  same  in  Europe  in  the  fifteenth 
century),  calls  for  skill  and  experience.  And  inci- 
dentally, it  may  be  noted,  too,  that  as  the  printer  lays 
down  his  paper  on  successive  blocks,  he  has  nothing  to 
guide  him  but  two  little  registering  marks,  a  rectan- 
gular notch  on  the  right  side  of  the  plank,  and  a 
straight  one  on  the  left.  One  may  occasionally  see 
evidences  on  the  prints  of  wrong  register,  where  colors 
overlap,  or  white  streaks  show.  But  what  is  of  more 
importance  is  the  freedom  allowed  the  printer  and  the 
demands  made  upon  his  artistic  capabilities.  For  the 
whole  matter  of  expressing  the  original  design  in  its 
colors  and  gradations  is  left  to  him.  With  us,  the  en- 
graver produces  gradations  by  his  lines,  and  the  inking 
roller  deposits  a  uniform  film  of  ink.  With  the  Jap- 
anese, the  cutter  furnishes  lines  to  bring  out  form,  and 
otherwise  provides  only  flat  masses  in  relief  for  colors. 
The  water-color,  mixed  with  rice-paste,  is  laid  on  the 
block  with  the  brush,  and  the  printer  applies  it  in 
stronger  or  more  delicate  tints,  as  desired,  producing 
all  needed  gradations.  The  last  are,  therefore,  created 
independently  of  the  wood-cutter;  they  are  painted  on 
the  block.  The  process  may  be  compared  to  that  used 
in  printing  etchings,  when  a  film  of  ink  is  left  on  un- 
etched  parts  of  the  plate,  over  and  above  that  held  by 
the  etched  lines.  The  two  methods  are  akin  in  this 
respect,  that  they  both  leave  to  the  printer  the  realiza- 


200         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

tion  of  certain  effects  intended  by  the  original  designer. 
A  detailed  and  most  interesting  account  of  the  whole 
process,  written  by  T.  Tokuno,  and  edited  by  the  late 
S.  R.  Koehler,  was  published  in  the  report  of  the  U.  S. 
National  Museum  for  1892. 

Early  in  the  eighteenth  century  black-and-white 
prints  were  colored  by  hand.  Then  came  printing  in 
color,  rose  and  green  only  being  used  at  first,  but  used 
with  remarkable  resourcefulness  in  distributing  colors 
with  relation  to  each  other.  Kiyonobu  rings  a  gamut 
of  possible  changes  of  harmonious  arrangement  in  these 
two  colors.  As  the  art  developed,  with  Suzuki  Haru- 
nobu  the  field  became  enlarged  from  the  actor-print 
(the  popular  demand  for  portraits  of  actors  had 
formed  a  not  unimportant  incentive  to  the  production 
of  prints)  to  a  wider  range  of  subjects,  and  from  the 
few  tints  first  used  to  a  wealth  of  color  applied  in  end- 
less variety,  with  fine  sense  of  balance.  In  the  exquisite 
effects  attained  the  grain  of  the  wood  and  the  texture 
of  the  paper  play  their  part.  If  it  is  seen  that  the  ear- 
lier work  is  characterized  by  subdued  color,  while  the 
later  shows  a  preference  for  brilliant  tints,  it  must  also 
be  noted  that  some  of  this  effect  in  the  older  prints  is 
due  to  the  fading  of  the  colors,  just  as  time  may  have 
added  a  mellow  richness  to  old  paintings.  Whether 
the  cause  be  simple  or  complex,  it  results  in  delicate, 
low-toned  tints  of  exquisite  effectiveness. 

With  Kiyonaga,  although  he  gives  outdoor  feeling 
without  cast  shadows,  landscape  assumed  greater  im- 
portance; it  was  eventually  to  develop  into  an  element 
of  prime  interest.  By  Hiroshige,  landscape  is  rendered 
for  its  own  sake,  not  as  a  mere  background  accessory. 


WOOD  ENGRAVING  201 

And  what  impressions  of  his  native  land  he  gives  us 
in  the  simplest,  broadest  elements  of  form  and  color! 

Notwithstanding  the  democratic  spirit  of  wood  en- 
graving, it  has  thus  produced  a  most  sensitively  devel- 
oped form  of  art.  The  simplest  materials  have  suf- 
ficed for  an  expression  of  consummate  art.  Or,  per- 
haps, I  might  better  say  that  the  very  limits  of  the 
means  used  have  intensified  subtlety.  As  E.  F.  Fen- 
ollosa  said,  speaking  of  A.  W.  Dow's  experiments  in 
printing  pictures  in  a  few  flat  tints :  "  It  strengthens  the 
artist's  constructive  sense  in  that  it  forces  him  to  deal 
with  simple  factors."  But  with  foreign  appreciation  of 
the  art  of  color-printing  there  came  its  decay  in  its 
native  land.  Occidental  influence  has  been  felt,  and  the 
Japanese  has  leanings  toward  cosmopolitanism.  And 
what  does  the  future  hold  ?  It  is  pleasant  to  contemplate 
the  efforts  made — as  in  the  periodical  Kokka — not  only 
to  record  pictorially  various  phases  of  the  art  of  Japan, 
but  to  hold  especially,  in  a  measure,  this  old  art  of 
color  printing.  But  it  does  not  seem  that  a  renaissance 
of  an  art  so  purely  national,  "  the  spontaneous  out- 
come of  a  joyous  nation,"  is  very  likely  to  take  place 
under  present  conditions.  Whatever  the  future  may 
have  in  store  for  the  art  of  Japan,  her  heritage  in  the 
color-print  of  old  is  one  whose  influence,  the  influence 
of  a  highly  developed  sensitive  artistic  spirit,  has  over- 
spread the  civilized  world. 

The  possibilities  of  the  wood  block  have  been  ex- 
ploited to  a  remarkable  degree.  It  has  rendered  line 
and  tone,  given  the  precision  of  the  pen-and-ink  sketch 
or  the  etching,  and  the  free,  granular  irregularity  of 
the  charcoal  smudge,  translated  paintings  with  the  set 


202         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

regularity  of  the  line  engraving  on  copper  or,  abandon 
ing  the  line  per  se,  with  an  attention  to  tone  and  color 
and  texture,  which  gave  even  the  illusion  of  painty 
brush  marks.  It  has  been  used  for  the  rudest  handbills 
and  for  the  most  elaborate  reproduction  of  famous 
works  of  art;  it  has  served  as  an  original  art,  as  a  di- 
rect means  of  expression,  and,  crossing  the  bounds  of 
the  black-and-white,  it  has  imitated  wash-drawings  in 
two  or  three  tints,  and  has  entered  the  domain  of  color- 
printing  in  elaborate  reproductions,  as  well  as  in  the 
highly  sensitive  form  of  art  exemplified  in  the  Japanese 
chromo-xylograph.  It  has  been  employed  to  illustrate 
in  the  rudest  form  the  songs  and  ballads  hawked  about 
the  streets,  and  in  perfection  of  craftsmanship  works 
such  as  the  Dore  Bible.  It  has  been  put  to  the  practical 
use  of  producing  wall-paper,  and  it  has  brought  forth 
works  treasured  by  the  collector,  though  so  different  in 
style  as  the  engravings  after  Diirer  or  Holbein,  and 
those  which  are  the  work  of  some  of  the  modern  dis- 
ciples of  the  art  in  the  United  States.  The  sum  of  its 
accomplishment  is  so  wide  and  varied  that  there  are 
many  possibilities  of  enjoyment,  even  for  those  who 
believe  that  in  the  abandonment  of  the  line  in  the  re- 
productive work  of  modern  times  the  art  has  been 
forced  into  a  sphere  not  its  own,  or  that  its  proper 
field  is  black-and-white,  and  not  color.  Although  these, 
too,  will  ascertain  and  appreciate  the  noblest  expres- 
sions of  this  modern  striving  after  ideals  sometimes 
unobtainable. 

Above  all,  it  is  clear  that  the  attractive  element  in 
wood  engraving  is  undoubtedly  the  impress  of  the  na- 
ture of  the  material  used,  the  wood  block,  with  both  its 


WOOD  ENGRAVING  203 

resources  and  its  limits,  its  strength  and  its  weakness. 
And  it  is  in  proportion  as  he  has  realized  this  nature 
and  expressed  it,  that  the  engraver  will  give  force  to 
his  appeal  to  our  admiration  and  sympathy. 

The  use  of  linoleum,  in  recent  years,  as  a  material 
on  which  to  engrave  in  relief,  farther  illustrates  the 
influence  and  interest  of  the  medium.  The  springiness 
and  surface  texture  of  the  linoleum  add  a  special  char- 
acter to  the  color  prints  thus  produced. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
LITHOGRAPHY 

THERE  are  varied  pleasures  in  store  for  those  who 
become  interested  in  the  peculiar  charm  of  lithog- 
raphy. 

A  supple  medium  this  is,  ranging  in  its  possibilities 
of  expression  from  delicate  silvery  grays  to  deep  vel- 
vety blacks,  from  masses  of  tone  to  the  slightest  pen- 
cil-like sketches;  a  process  of  many  effects,  produced  by 
tools  of  the  most  varying  description :  crayon,  pen, 
brush,  scraper;  a  method  of  lines  coarse  or  fine,  of 
tones,  of  washes,  in  black-and-white  or  in  color;  an  au- 
tographic art,  reproducing  the  artist's  touch  absolutely; 
displaying  his  individuality  without  the  intervention 
of  any  human  translator;  an  open,  personal  manifesta- 
tion of  his  design  and  intention,  with  the  full  impress 
of  his  character ;  an  art  which  does,  of  course,  call  for 
adaptation  on  the  part  of  the  artist  to  its  nature  and 
limits,  but  for  comparatively  little  technical  prepara- 
tion; eminently  a  medium  for  the  painter,  permitting 
"  each  temperament  to  assert  itself." 

Yet,  despite  all  its  resources  and  possibilities,  its 
ease  of  acquirement,  lithography  did  not  retain  its 
first  strong  hold  as  a  painter-art.  Taken  up  enthu- 
siastically by  many  artists  soon  after  its  invention,  it 

204 


LITHOGRAPHY  205 

went  through  a  period  of  brilliant  achievement,  par- 
ticularly in  France.  Then  its  use  as  an  art  for  artists 
lapsed,  and  commerce  claimed  it  for  its  own,  develop- 
ing its  resources  to  a  high  degree  in  the  more  mechani- 
cal and  practical  aspects.  And  this  very  extensive  com- 
mercial use  of  lithography  may  have  served  to  keep 
the  glamour  of  high  art  from  this  reproductive  method. 
That  may  account  in  part  for  the  want  of  attention 
given  by  public  and  artists  alike  to  lithography  as  a 
medium  for  original  expression  in  art. 

In  recent  years,  painters  have  again  turned  to  it. 
But  they  cultivate  it  in  a  somewhat  different  spirit 
from  that  of  the  older  men. 

Lithography  is  susceptible  of  the  most  varied  treat- 
ment, flexible  to  a  remarkable  degree.  The  manifold 
opportunities  which  it  offers  have  been  seized  and  uti- 
lized by  various  artists,  in  accordance  with  their  indi- 
vidual style  or  tendency  or  subject.  The  centenary 
exhibitions  of  artistic  lithography,  held  in  1895  an<^ 
1896,  in  Paris,  London,  New  York  City  (Grolier 
Club)  and  elsewhere,  graphically  illustrated  this,  as 
do  also  the  representative  gatherings  of  examples  in 
the  various  print-rooms.  Failing  those,  there  is  the 
well-illustrated  small  folio  on  contemporary  lithog- 
raphy, issued  by  the  Gesellschaft  fur  Vervielf'dlti- 
gende  Kunst,  of  Vienna,  or  J.  and  E.  R.  Pennell's 
"  Lithography  and  Lithographers  "  and  "  Some  Mas- 
ters of  Lithography,"  by  Atherton  Curtis.  It  must  al- 
ways be  remembered  that  even  such  fine  reproductions 
as  the  Vienna  book  offers  cannot  ever  quite  take  the 
place  of  the  originals,  for  the  grain  of  stone  or  trans- 
fer-paper, the  finer  details  of  the  intimate  personal 


2o6         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

touch  of  the  artist  must  suffer  somewhat  from  the  in- 
trusion of  the  network  of  lines,  be  it  ever  so  fine,  in  the 
half-tone,  or  the  fine  grain  of  the  photogravure.  Nev- 
ertheless, these  books  form  invaluable  pictorial  records 
of  the  art,  and  of  the  application  of  its  resources  to 
individual  needs. 

Lithography  can  imitate  other  graphic  arts  in  an 
astonishing  manner.  But  in  the  end  it  cannot  give  the 
absolute  quality  of  the  art  which  it  copies.  It  will  re- 
main a  lithograph,  even  under  the  cloak  of  borrowed 
characteristics.  It  may  prove  profitable  and  legitimate 
in  commercial  work  to  substitute  the  lithographic  proc- 
ess for  others  when  it  gives  practically  the  same  re- 
sult with  greater  ease  and  cheapness  of  production. 
But  in  original  work — painter-lithography,  as  it  is 
called — attempts  to  make  the  stone  speak  an  artistic 
language  that  is  foreign  to  it  must  be  deprecated. 
The  medium  may  be  molded  to  the  individual  style. 
You  have  but  to  place  lithographs  by  artists  as  dif- 
ferent in  temperament  and  manner  as  Horace  Ver- 
net,  Gavarni,  Menzel,  Whistler  and  Greiner  side  by 
side  to  see  that. 

It  is  an  interesting  and  noteworthy  fact  that  Aloys 
Senefelder,  the  inventor  of  lithography,  foresaw  prac- 
tically all  of  its  possibilities  of  development  in  their 
general  outlines.  Senefelder,  a  poor  author,  made  his 
invention  while  searching  for  an  inexpensive  mode  of 
printing  his  literary  productions.  Called  upon  one  day 
to  write  out  a  laundry  bill  at  short  notice,  he  jotted  it 
down  on  a  slab  of  limestone  from  Solenhofen,  on  which 
he  had  been  practicing-  reversed  writing  with  an  ink 
containing  wax,  soap  and  lamp-black.  It  occurred  to 


LITHOGRAPHY  207 

him  to  submit  the  stone  to  the  action  of  acid,  which 
etched  away  the  stone,  except  where  the  lines  resisted 
it,  and  this  left  his  writing  sufficiently  in  relief  to  be 
printed  from.  This  was  in  1796,  and  his  subsequent 
experiments  produced  a  surface  to  be  printed  from 
which  was  practically  neither  in  relief  nor  in  intaglio, 
so  that  lithography  has  been  named  a  planographic 
process. 

The  perfected  method  of  this  surface-printing  in- 
volves a  chemical  process,  being  based  on  the  lack  of 
affinity  between  fat  and  water.  The  drawing  is  exe- 
cuted on  the  stone  with  a  greasy  crayon  or  ink.  A  very 
weak  solution  of  acid  is  then  applied  to  the  stone.  The 
chemical  effect  of  this  is  to  increase  the  affinity  of  the 
drawn  lines  for  fatty  substances  and  to  increase  the 
resistance  to  the  same  in  the  portions  of  the  stone  not 
drawn  upon,  the  resistance  being  aided  by  the  addition 
of  a  solution  of  gum  arabic.  The  acid,  therefore,  is 
not  applied,  as  in  Senefelder's  first  experiment,  in  order 
to  eat  away  the  untouched  portions  of  the  stone,  so  as 
to  throw  the  drawing  into  relief,  but  simply  to  effect 
certain  chemical  changes.  Water  is  then  applied, 
which  will  be  held  only  in  the  white  spaces.  If  a  stone 
thus  prepared  is  rolled  up  with  ink,  it  will  accept  it  ' 
wherever  it  has  been  drawn  upon,  and  will  repel  it  else- 
where. In  the  lithographic  press,  the  stone  and  the 
paper  on  it  pass  under  a  bar  of  wood  which  scrapes  off  I 
the  print. 

For  crayon  drawing,  the  commonly-employed 
method,  the  stone  is  given  a  grain,  so  that  the  crayon 
may  "  take  hold."  A  crayon  sauce  may  be  applied  with 
rags.  Pen  or  brush  may  be  used,  with  lithographic 


2o8         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

ink,  or  the  stone  can  be  covered  with  a  layer  of  ink, 
from  which  the  lights  are  scraped  out,  as  in  mezzotint 
engraving.  Spatter-work  has  been  produced,  espe- 
cially for  posters,  by  drawing  an  edge  across  a  brush 
charged  with  ink.  Engraving  or  etching  on  stone 
consists  in  preparing  the  stone  with  gum,  so  that  its 
whole  surface  would  refuse  to  take  ink.  Into  this 
surface  the  design  is  then  scratched  with  a  point,  graver 
or  diamond,  and  wherever  the  stone  is  thus  bared  it 
will  take  ink.  Barley's  well-known  illustrations  for 
Judd's  "  Margaret "  were  done  by  Konrad  Huber  in 
this  manner. 

The  heaviness  of  the  stone  led  eventually  to  the  use 
of  the  so-called  transfer  paper.  On  this  specially  pre- 
pared paper  the  artist  executes  his  drawing  in  litho- 
graphic crayon  or  ink,  and  this  drawing  is  then  trans- 
ferred from  the  stone  to  the  paper  by  being  placed  face 
downward  on  the  stone  and  run  through  a  press.  This 
has  another  advantage  for  the  artist:  it  obviates  the 
necessity  for  reversing  the  drawing,  which  always  ex- 
ists when  he  draws  on  the  stone  or  the  wood,  or  en- 
graves or  etches  on  copper.  His  drawing  is  reversed 
in  the  mechanical  process  of  transferring,  and  comes 
out  right  again  in  the  printing.  This  transfer  process, 
by  the  way,  can  be  used  also  where  large  editions  are 
to  be  quickly  produced,  for  all  that  is  necessary  is  to 
keep  on  taking  impressions  and  transferring  them,  so 
that  a  given  design  may  be  transferred  to  as  many 
stones  as  desired,  and  printing  from  the  same  can  go 
on  simultaneously  on  as  many  presses.  But  delicacy 
may  be  lost  in  re-transferring. 

The  latest  outcome  of  the  desire  to  find  a  substitute 


LITHOGRAPHY  209 

for  the  stone  is  the  use  of  aluminium  plates.  They  have 
been  employed  for  the  artist-lithographs  of  Cornelia 
Paczka  and  others  in  Germany,  where  this  form  of  the 
art  is  known  as  Algraphie. 

Lithography  is  the  youngest  of  the  reproductive  arts 
used  as  a  medium  of  original  expression,  an  auto- 
graphic art  in  which  the  artist  works  directly  in  the 
production  of  the  print. 

Some  years  after  Senefelder's  invention,  various 
German  artists  tried  their  hand  at  this  new  art,  for 
which  so  much  was  claimed.  There  is  a  weak  wool- 
liness  and  indecision  in  much  of  the  early  crayon-draw- 
ing on  stone,  which  does  not  emphasize  either  the  in- 
tense blacks  or  the  delicate  grays  of  which  the  medium 
is  capable. 

But  the  new  art  was  soon  more  extensively  em- 
ployed, and  with  more  virtuosity,  by  the  French,  who 
seemed  to  enter  more  into  its  spirit  and  its  possibilities. 
A  "  Lancer,"  done  by  Horace  Vernet,  in  1816,  has 
been  regarded  as  the  starting-point  of  serious  painter- 
lithography  in  France.  It  has  the  silvery  gray  tone 
characteristic  of  the  early  French  work,  both  profes- 
sional and  amateur.  For  the  art,  so  easily  acquired,  at- 
tracted men  and  women  of  good  society,  so  that  we 
have  portraits  by  Antoine  Philippe  d'Orleans,  Due  de 
Montpensier,  and  a  view  of  the  Chateau  de  Rosny,  by 
Marie  Caroline,  Duchesse  de  Berri,  among  others. 

In  that  very  facility  lay  danger,  for  it  caused  many 
to  take  up  the  art  who  were  either  not  fitted  to  give 
utterance  to  its  finer  forms,  or  who  applied  themselves 
to  it  temporarily  as  a  source  of  income  and  a  conven- 
ient method  of  reproducing  drawings  for  illustrations. 


210         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

This  last-named  motive  is  one  frequently  encountered 
even  in  the  work  of  the  best  men. 

It  is  with  lithography  as  with  etching.  A  good 
painter  is  not  necessarily  a  good  etcher  or  lithographer. 
The  painter-lithographer,  like  the  painter-etcher,  must 
arrive  at  a  full  understanding  of  the  peculiarities  and 
characteristics  of  his  medium.  He  must  choose  it  for 
its  own  sake  as  a  means  of  artistic  expression.  If  he 
be  not  impelled  by  preference  to  the  use  of  the  litho- 
graphic crayon,  surely  his  performances  will  be  as  halt- 
ing and  stammering  as  utterance  in  an  unfamiliar  lan- 
guage. It  will  be  found  that  the  most  satisfactory  work 
is  often  that  which  was  done  con  amore,  without 
thought  of  the  public. 

J.  B.  Isabey  was  among  the  earliest  painters  to  prac- 
tice lithography;  his  vaporous  and  silvery  crayoning 
shows  particularly  well  in  the  delicately-treated  fig- 
ures of  cavalier  and  lady  in  his  "  Stairway  of  the  Great 
Tower  of  the  Chateau  d'Harcourt "  (1821).  Here 
the  lines  are  lost  in  an  even,  grained  tint.  A  similar, 
if  perhaps  less  delicate,  handling  appears  in  "  Le  Pa- 
resseux,"  by  Pierre  Guerin.  The  grain  is  more  pro- 
nounced, the  crayon  lines  clearly  separated,  but  the 
gray  still  adhered  to,  though  with  a  somewhat  duller 
effect,  in  the  drawings  of  the  Baron  Gros,  Girodet- 
Trioson,  Guerin,  Hersent,  Grenier. 

Aubry-Lecomte  seems  to  have  been  at  home  in  both 
manners.  He  reproduced  Girodet-Trioson's  "  Ossian  " 
designs  (1821)  in  coarse-grained,  broad  parallel 
gray  lines,  and  copied  Bonnefond's  "  Italian  Pilgrim  " 
(1838)  with  suppression  of  line  and  absolute  smooth- 
ness, in  "  one  of  the  most  finished  and  finest 


LITHOGRAPHY  211 

pieces  among  French  lithographs."  His  style  predis- 
posed him  particularly  to  the  reproduction  of  paintings 
by  Prud'hon,  which  latter  artist  also  worked  on  the 
stone. 

Gradually  the  sometimes  colorless  gray  gave  way  to 
a  full  octave  of  tones,  the  lightest  relieved  by  deep 
notes  of  the  darkest  black,  resulting  in  fine  contrasts 
highly  suggestive  of  color. 

This  was  a  period  of  brilliant  achievement  in  France. 
Gericault,  who  died  in  1824,  is  one  of  the  earliest  who 
found  new  ways  of  saying  things.  His  realism  and 
reaction  against  academic  rules  are  echoed  in  his  litho- 
graphs, among  which  are  a  number  of  studies  of 
horses.  "  At  a  time,"  said  Bouchot,  in  his  interesting 
book  on  lithography,  "  when  softness  of  outline  and 
timidity  of  accentuation  made  lithography  to  be  little 
but  a  light  and  imponderable  sketch,  he  was  able  to 
communicate  brilliancy  and  warmth,  vigor  of  aspect 
and  opposition."  Delacroix,  the  famous  painter, 
showed  "  what  vigor  and  color  the  lithographic  cray- 
on can  acquire  in  the  hand  of  a  master."  As  drawings 
and  as  illustrations  his  "  Hamlet  "  and  "  Faust  "  series 
are  not  remarkable,  notwithstandng  Goethe's  enthu- 
siastic praise  of  those  for  his  own  poem.  They  have  a 
certain  dramatic  power  despite  their  somewhat  self- 
conscious  and  "  truculent  romanticism."  But  consid- 
ered purely  as  lithographs,  in  some  of  his  pieces  the 
audacity  and  impetuosity  of  his  method  are  highly 
interesting.  In  "  Macbeth  and  the  Witches  "  (1825), 
executed  almost  entirely  by  scraping  thin  white  lines 
out  of  a  dark  ground,  "  Lion  de  1' Atlas  "  (1829),  or 
"  Tigre  Royal"  (1829),  he  seems  to  have  well-nigh 


212         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

exhausted  the  resources  of  the  stone  in  the  vigorous 
rendering  of  shadow  and  color  suggestion.  In  the 
presence  of  such  ardent  expression  one  overlooks  faults 
of  form. 

Barye,  the  noted  sculptor  of  animal  subjects,  did 
not  strike  such  an  intense,  dramatic  note  on  the  stone, 
and  possibly  used  the  medium  rather  as  a  ready  means 
of  sketching.  It  is  interesting,  too,  to  compare  this 
savage  fauna  presented  by  Delacroix  with  ferocity, 
almost,  in  the  manner  of  attacking  the  stone,  with  the 
domestic  cattle  depicted  later  by  Rosa  Bonheur,  who, 
like  Delacroix,  carries  her  personality  as  a  painter  into 
her  lithographs.  One  might  say,  perhaps,  that  both 
animals  and  art  appear  tamer  in  her  lithographs,  if  that 
would  not  seem  to  cast  reflection  on  one  whose  work 
was  as  satisfactory  in  texture  and  handling  as  hers, 
The  strength  of  her  lithographs  stands  out  in  contrast 
to  the  reproductions,  good  though  they  are,  of  her 
paintings  by  skillful  lithographers  such  as  Soulange- 
Teissier  and  Sirouy.  And  while  we  are  tarrying  with 
such  later  animal-painters,  a  word  must  be  given  to 
Brascassat,  whose  "  Etudes  d'Animaux,"  though  per- 
haps not  equal  to  Rosa  Bonheur's  studies,  are  yet  vir- 
ile and  noteworthy  productions. 

Returning  to  the  earlier  men,  I  find  one  more  animal 
draughtsman  to  mention,  but  mainly  by  way  of  a  con- 
trast, as  a  foil  to  throw  work  such  as  that  of  Dela- 
croix into  startling  relief.  That  is  Victor  Adam,  fa- 
cile, prolific,  smooth,  sure  of  himself  in  his  little  field, 
whose  always  well-groomed  and  fiery  horses  are  as 
smooth  as  his  style,  who  hardly  ever  went  far  enough 
to  commit  an  outright  faux-pas.  His  was  the  art  of 


LITHOGRAPHY  213 

a  kind  promoted  by  publications  such  as  the  litho- 
graphic annuals  and  albums  issued  during  the  twen- 
ties and  thirties  by  the  Gihaut  brothers,  in  which  lithog- 
raphy was  used  primarily  as  a  means  of  illustration. 
Still  in  such  books,  as  in  the  files  of  Charivari,  La  Ca- 
ricature and  similar  comic  papers,  are  preserved  many 
interesting  and  characteristic  examples. 

Most  of  the  artists  of  1830  lithographed  more  or 
less;  so  did  those  of  the  Barbizon  school.  Millet  did  a 
little;  the  stone  of  his  "  Sower,"  done  in  1851  for 
U  Artiste  (which  periodical  actively  promoted  the 
cause  of  artistic  lithography),  was  unfortunately  mis- 
laid after  one  proof  had  been  taken,  and  found  to  be 
much  damaged  when  impressions  were  taken  from  it 
in  1879.  He  introduced  the  figures  in  four  large  litho- 
graphs of  adventures  among  the  Indians,  executed  by 
his  friend  and  neighbor  at  Barbizon,  Karl  Bodmer, 
who  traveled  in  North  America  in  1832-34  with  Alex- 
ander Maximilian,  Prince  of  Neuwied,  and  pictured 
the  forest  and  its  inhabitants,  both  in  lithography  and 
in  etching.  Diaz  made  drawings  on  stone,  some  of 
them  in  a  playful  vein,  Corot,  one  regrets  to  find,  neg- 
lected a  medium  which  was  apparently  so  well  adapted 
to  his  style.  Dupre,  on  the  other  hand,  signed  several 
interesting  lithographs,  rich  in  blacks  if  not  very  subtle. 
And  you  may  come  across  one  of  the  few  by  Frere, 
such  as  "  Les  Images,"  or  by  Appian,  who  has  here  a 
personal  touch  as  in  his  etchings.  With  Decamps  we 
come  again  to  a  painter  who  draws  exceptional  effects 
from  the  rich  gamut  of  tones  that  lies  between  the 
white  of  the  paper  and  the  deep  black  that  the  crayon 
can  give.  The  painter-quality  is  strongly  in  evidence 


214         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

even  in  his  little  sketch  of  a  "  Fox-hunter  "  (in  which 
the  scraper  is  used  with  discreet  freedom),  and  his 
power  in  suggesting  color  is  shown  particularly  well  in 
the  picture  of  "  Children  Frightened  by  a  Watch-dog  " 
(1830). 

It  is  significant  that  the  scraper  was  freely  used  by 
painter-lithographers  as  a  means  of  lightening  shad- 
ows and  indicating  form,  while  it  was  more  sparingly 
employed,  or  not  at  all,  by  the  professional  lithog- 
raphers. The  latter,  in  their  well-finished  portraits, 
used  either  an  even-grained  tint  in  which  lines  were 
lost,  or  the  elaborate  cross-hatching  of  crayon  lines, 
which  was  finally  developed  into  a  mechanical  formula 
that  finds  its  height  of  well-regulated  inanity  in  the 
almost  innumerable  drawing  copies  by  Julien,  from 
which  so  many  of  us  gained  our  first  idea  of  drawing 
when  we  were  children. 

A  free  use  of  the  scraper  is  found  also  in  the  works 
of  Aime  de  Lemud,  with  qualities  pleasing  to  both  ar- 
tists and  public,  among  them  the  famous  "  Master 
Wolfframb"  (1838)  and  "The  Return  to  France" 
(the  coffin  of  Napoleon  I.,  borne  by  soldiers  and  sur- 
rounded by  spectres  of  the  Grande  Armee).  This  ef- 
fective instrument  can  be  utilized  in  two  ways :  white 
lines  can  be  drawn  on  a  black  ground,  as  did  Charlet, 
or  the  instrument  can  be  wielded  as  in  mezzotint,  pro- 
ducing semitones. 

This  mezzotint  method  was  employed  with  remark- 
able effectiveness  by  Eugene  Isabey,  the  marine 
painter,  the  exuberant  bravura  coloring  of  whose  can- 
vases is  echoed  in  the  rich  tones  of  his  lithographs. 
"  He  knew  instinctively  where  his  accents  should  come 


LITHOGRAPHY  215 

to  produce  a  harmonious  whole,"  says  Atherton  Curtis. 
His  influence  is  evident  in  the  work  of  his  pupil,  A. 
Hervier,  who  branched  out  into  a  technique  of  his  own, 
however,  using  crayon,  scraper  and  brush,  and  cleverly 
imitating  spotty  wash  drawings.  Hervier's  painting, 
"  Petite  Rue  du  Port,  Environs  de  Morlaix,"  was 
translated  into  lithography  by  Bargue;  the  sky  is 
grained,  but  foreground,  houses,  figures  and  boat  are 
all  brought  out  by  scraping  vigorously,  wildly  if  you 
will,  but  with  a  characteristic  effect.  It  should  be 
looked  at  closely  to  study  the  technique,  but  not  so  near 
by  when  it  is  desired  to  see  the  result.  Paul  Huet,  like 
others  of  this  group,  produced  work  that  fairly  palpi- 
tated with  strong  feeling  for  color,  in  which  the  pale 
gray  crayonage  of  earlier  days  is  quite  lost  to  view. 

This  work,  or  at  least  much  of  it,  is  pure  painter- 
lithography,  produced,  whether  for  publication  or  not, 
as  a  more  intimate  expression  of  the  artist's  person- 
ality. But  lithography  was  utilized  also  to  illustrate 
phases  of  life  which  directly  interested  and  amused  the 
public.  And  the  glorification  of  the  army  was  particu- 
larly popular. 

The  soldier  of  France  was  shown  at  home  and  in  the 
field,  in  camp  and  in  the  roar  of  battle,  by  Raffet,  Bel- 
lange  and  Charlet.  Through  these  pictorial  represen- 
tations of  the  Grande  Armee  there  moves  the  figure  of 
him  who  gave  it  its  reputation,  the  "  Little  Corporal," 
idol  of  the  people.  Raffet  was  the  most  highly  en- 
dowed of  these  artists  who  helped  to  perpetuate  on 
stone  the  Napoleonic  legend  and  to  feed  the  popular 
appetite  for  military  glory.  His  lithographs  form 
valuable  military  documents.  The  tattered  and  poorly 


216         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

fed  soldier  of  the  Republic,  the  fiercely  mustached 
grenadier  (vieux  grognard)  of  the  Empire,  the  soldier 
of  Constantine  and  Sebastopol,  were  delineated  by  him 
with  keen  observation,  as  individuals  and  in  masses, 
large  bodies  of  men  being  handled  with  a  remarkable 
combination  of  detail  and  breadth.  For  his  large 
battle-scenes,  spontaneous  though  they  appear,  are 
carefully  studied  in  detail,  though  balance  is  preserved 
by  insistence  on  essentials.  He  has  even  followed  the 
German  poet  J.  C.  von  Zedlitz  into  the  unseen  world 
in  his  depiction  of  the  "  Nocturnal  Review  "  of  the 
phantom  of  the  Grand  Army  by  its  Emperor,  around 
whom  the  long  lines  of  cavalry  are  sweeping  with 
noiseless  gallop,  emerging  from  the  misty  distance  into 
the  pale  light  which  overhangs  the  scene  with  ghostly 
suggestiveness.  This  dramatic  scene  is  hardly  more 
impressive,  however,  than  the  irresistible  forward 
movement  of  the  long  lines  behind  the  mounted  Em- 
peror in  "  Us  grognaient  mais  le  mivaient  toujours  " 
("They  grumbled  but  followed  him  always"). 

Raffet,  as  far  as  I  know,  is  the  only  lithographer 
beside  Senefelder  to  whom  a  monument  has  been 
erected. 

Charlet's  art  was  more  consistently  joyous.  His 
theme  was  the  intimate  life  of  the  soldier.  His  prints 
illustrate  the  eagerness  of  the  schoolboy  to  carry  the 
grenadier's  musket,  the  braggadocio  of  the  drummer- 
boy,  the  persuasiveness  of  the  recruiting  sergeant,  the 
reminiscential  garrulity  of  the  veteran.  To-day  we 
realize  that  in  his  productiveness,  Charlet  at  times  fell 
into  the  weakness  born  of  the  mannerism  which  fe- 
cundity and  facility  are  so  apt  to  engender.  And  a 


LITHOGRAPHY  217 

manner  adopted  as  a  means  of  quickly  arriving  at  a 
desired  end  means  frequent  repetition  of  things  done 
before,  instead  of  always  renewed  study  of  nature. 

However,  the  sum  total  of  Charlet's  productions 
shows  so  much  good  work,  so  much  spontaneous  and 
immediate  observation  of  life,  and  such  sympathy  with 
the  spirit  that  animated  his  countrymen,  that  it  stands 
in  its  entirety  as  an  achievement  of  note  in  the  records 
of  lithography.  He,  too,  though  usually  sketching  in 
broad  crayon-strokes,  turned  at  times  to  the  scraper, 
as  in  a  figure  of  a  Turk  (1823)  done  almost  entirely 
in  white  scratches  on  a  black  ground. 

The  vein  of  humor  in  Charlet  is  more  pronounced 
in  the  lithographs  of  those  who  are  directly  identified 
with  the  comic  art.  Lithography,  serving  as  a  means 
of  picturing  contemporary  manners  and  ideas,  became 
a  vehicle  for  caricature,  both  political  and  social,  and 
as  such  enlisted  a  number  of  able  artists  in  its  service. 
Among  these  were  both  the  illustrator  Dore  and  the 
animal  painter  Jacque,  as  well  as  L.  L.  Boilly, 
whose  many  groups  of  heads  ("  The  Antiquaries," 
"  Reading  of  the  Will,"  "  Childhood,"  etc.)  represent 
a  somewhat  heavy  species  of  humor,  but  are  cleverly 
drawn.  More  directly  identified  with  caricature  were 
Philipon,  Travies,  Grandville,  Henri  Monnier,  De- 
camps the  painter,  and  others  whose  records  are 
told  in  the  annals  of  the  comic  art.  But  the  two 
most  conspicuous  examples  of  a  union  of  artistic  tal- 
ent of  a  high  order  and  an  appreciation  of  the  nature 
of  the  lithographic  process,  placed  at  the  service  of 
caricature,  are  Honore  Daumier  and  Gavarni.  A  num- 
ber of  their  works  are  reproduced  in  the  monographs 


218         HO W  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

by  Frantz  and  Uzanne  and  by  Elizabeth  Luther 
Gary. 

Daumier  is  an  artist  of  undoubted  power,  whom  his 
most  enthusiastic  admirers  have  placed  among  the 
greatest  painters  of  all  time.  As  a  lithographer,  he 
paid  little  attention  to  the  niceties  of  technique, 
but  worked  with  a  big  stroke,  that  is  most  telling, 
if  perhaps  a  little  brutal  in  its  attack.  He  used 
the  scraper,  but  in  a  summary  manner;  so  in  the 
picture  of  a  man  with  a  woman  by  his  side,  fishing  in 
a  pouring  rain,  which  is  indicated  by  long,  oblique, 
white  lines.  His  "  Ventre-Legislatif  "  (the  Chamber 
of  Deputies  of  1834),  and  his  "  En f once  Lafayette. 
.  .  .  attrape,  mon  Vieux  "  (the  funeral  of  Lafayette, 
with  Louis  Philippe  dissimulating  his  joy),  are  excel- 
lent examples  both  of  his  method  in  lithography  and  of 
his  force  as  a  pictorial  satirist. 

Gavarni  had  less  elemental  force,  less  of  the  painter's 
spirit,  and  more  elegance  and  brilliancy.  To  him  the 
stone  was  a  ready  means  of  reproducing  his  pictorial 
satire.  His  earlier  drawings,  in  which  he  placed  fine 
lines  and  delicate  tones  with  discriminating  care,  are 
quite  different  from  his  later  and  best  known  work, 
in  which  he  handled  the  crayon  and  stump  with  sketchy 
verve,  and  a  spirit  which  had  a  decided  manner  in  its 
expression,  but  at  the  same  time  shows  a  keen  observa- 
tion of  the  weakness  of  humanity  as  evidenced  in  atti- 
tude and  gesture.  His  "  Enfants  Terribles,"  "  Four- 
beries  des  Femmes  "  and  "  Les  Propos  de  Thomas  Vire- 
locque,"  unroll  a  gallery  of  types  and  characters  in 
which  very  adequate  illustration  of  witty  dialogue  or 
a  ludicrous  situation  is  quite  apt  to  captivate  the  mind 


LITHOGRAPHY  219 

and  allow  it  less  freedom  for  criticism  on  purely  artis- 
tic grounds. 

Lithography  became  the  vehicle  for  caricature  also 
in  Germany  and  Austria,  though  not  with  the  same 
artistic  force  as  in  France,  and  from  Vienna  it  was 
transplanted  for  this  purpose  to  the  United  States  by 
the  late  Joseph  Keppler,  founder  of  Puck.  In  Eng- 
land, on  the  other  hand,  I  can  recall  only  one  instance 
worth  recording  of  a  departure  from  the  use  of  the 
wood  block  in  this  field,  and  that  is  John  Leech's 
"  Children  of  the  Mobility." 

If  caricature  thus  availed  itself  of  the  lithographic 
process  to  depict  contemporary  life  in  its  humorous 
aspects,  the  direct  portraiture  of  the  individual  enlisted 
its  service  to  an  even  greater  extent  and  with  more  dis- 
play of  care  and  finish.  These  elements  one  would 
naturally  expect  here,  for  they  appeal  to  the  general 
public. 

Achille  Deveria  produced  much  commercial  work 
not  worthy  of  his  powers.  But  he  signed  also  draw- 
ings which  place  him  at  the  head  of  portrait-lithog- 
raphers in  France.  Such  a  one  is  the  portrait  of  Vic- 
tor Hugo,  dated  1829,  drawn  with  a  free  touch  of  the 
crayon,  the  face  in  delicate  tones,  the  coat  with  broad 
lines;  or  the  full-length  picture  of  the  elder  Dumas  in 
his  younger  days,  extended  on  a  sofa  in  a  noncha- 
lant attitude.  A  reflective,  psychological  vein  char- 
acterizes his  best  portraits,  attention  being  directed 
mainly  to  the  head.  It  has  been  pointed  out,  too,  that 
he  knew  the  value  of  accentuation  by  blacks,  as  in  the 
hair  of  Dumas.  His  virtuosity  was  applied  also  to  the 
delineation  of  the  ladies  of  his  time,  with  spirited  ele- 


220         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

gance  and  fine  appreciation  of  the  charm  and  grace  of 
body  and  movement  under  the  ridiculous  toilettes  of 
the  thirties,  as  the  late  Henri  Bouchot  pointed  out  in 
his  interesting  little  volume  "  La  Lithographic." 

Also  happy  in  the  portraiture  of  the  "  Eternal  Femi- 
nine," though  more  suave,  more  smooth,  less  personal, 
was  Grevedon,  the  soft,  insinuating  grayish  tone  of 
whose  work  lend  a  charm  of  a  certain  appropriateness 
to  these  subjects.  Leon  Noel,  Baugniet,  Llanta  and 
Belliard  are  among  those  who  helped  to  increase  the 
large  number  of  lithographed  portraits  which  are  well 
enough  executed  to  have  undoubted  value  as  records 
of  noted  personalities,  and  which  have  their  place  in 
the  portfolios  of  public  print-rooms.  They  bring  us 
nearer  to  that  professional  "  lithographer's  touch," 
with  its  delight  in  clean  workmanship,  in  tints  laid  on 
with  careful  avoidance  of  an  individual  note,  or  in 
lines  crossing  and  crossing  yet  again. 

It  would  make  a  long  list  were  I  to  refer  to  all  the 
Frenchmen  who  have  drawn  on  the  stone  with  more  or 
kss  success  in  these  seven  decades  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  either  habitually  or  tentatively.  The  list 
would  include  Ingres,  Vernier  and  Lami,  artists  differ- 
ent in  aim  and  manner.  But  mention  must  be  made  of 
Mouilleron  and  of  Celestin  Nanteuil,  both  skillful 
craftsmen,  and  characterized  by  Bouchot  as  "  transla- 
tors of  the  first  rank,"  and  as  among  "  the  great  color- 
ists  of  lithography."  The  tendency  as  to  subject  and 
the  capabilities  in  delicate  expression  of  Nanteuil  are 
well-exemplified  in  the  suggestive  "  Cupids  Guarding 
the  Door."  Both  of  these  artists  did  very  much  in  re- 
productive work,  and  so  lead  us  naturally  to  a  field  to 


LITHOGRAPHY  221 

which  I  have  several  times  had  occasion  to  refer  while 
considering  original  lithographs  in  the  main.  The  old 
question  will  be  raised  again:  Should  reproductive 
work  be  considered ?  Why  not,  if  it  is  good?  Lithog- 
raphy has  done  its  share  in  fulfilling  an  important  func- 
tion of  all  reproductive  art,  the  preservation  of  the  rec- 
ords of  painting  in  black-and-white  copies  of  its  mas- 
terpieces, as  well  as  of  less  important  works.1 

The  gray  tones  of  the  earlier  lithographs  were 
adapted  to  the  reproduction  of  but  few  paintings.  Be- 
ing applied  nevertheless,  we  have  as  a  result  much  col- 
orless work.  But  later  on  Gilbert,  Sirouy,  Pirodon, 
Bouvier,  Jules  Laurens,  Chaplin,  Leroux  and  others 
rendered  paintings  by  various  artists,  particularly 
Frenchmen,  with  more  range  of  tone  and  with  intelli- 
gent skill  (shown,  for  example,  in  the  change  of  style 
to  suit  each  case  in  Laurens'  "  Galerie  Bruyas  "). 

It  remained  for  Theophile  Chauvel,  in  the  seventies, 
to  illustrate  the  possibilities  of  the  art  in  translations 
of  paintings  by  Troyon,  Millet,  Isabey,  Decamps  and 
Bonington.  They  are  simply  extraordinary  in  the  adap- 
tation to  the  style  of  these  men,  in  the  individualized 
rendering  of  their  manner  to  the  very  brush  marks. 
He  applies  delicate  crayon  work  to  produce  a  sky  by 
Troyon,  or  fine  scraping  to  relieve  the  darkness  of  the 
black  body  of  a  "  Beagle  "  by  Decamps,  and  to  give 
form  and  texture.  Simple  methods,  no  juggling  with 
the  materials.  Chauvel  seems  to  have  drawn  the  full 
measure  of  possibility  from  lithography  in  a  field  in 
which  the  soft  crayon  had  once  failed  to  show  sufficient 
vigor  and  suppleness.  These  last-named  faults',  re- 
sulting in  the  want  of  variety,  of  color-suggestion, 

1  The  late  John  La  Farge  bore  witness  to  this. 


222         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

already  referred  to,  were  apparent  also  in  much  of  the 
earlier  reproductive  work  in  Germany,  where  the 
medium  was  assiduously  employed,  especially  in  the 
production  of  folio  volumes  of  the  class  of  J.  N. 
Strixner's  copies  after  the  old  German  masters,  the 
Munich  "  Pinakothek  "  pictures  by  Ferdinand  Piloty 
and  others,  or  Franz  Hanfstangl's  edition  of  the 
"  Dresden  Gallery."  Much  of  this  work  was  careful 
and  creditable,  with  artistic  feeling,  though  perhaps 
lacking  in  a  certain  delicacy  of  sympathy,  and  some- 
what monotonous  in  tone.  Here,  too,  there  gradually 
came  more  ability  to  enter  into  the  coloristic  peculiari- 
ties of  the  original.  Feckert's  portrait  of  Ravene, 
after  Knaus,  is  an  interesting  example  of  this. 

Hanfstangl  himself  did  portraits  with  a  certain 
smooth  originality,  and  with  care  and  skill.  Allow- 
ing for  the  difference  in  national  temperament,  his 
portraits  may  be  classed  with  French  work  such  as 
that  of  Grevedon,  although  he  strikes  richer  tones 
than  that  artist.  It  is  interesting  to  compare  his  por- 
trait of  Senefelder  (1834)  with  N.  H.  Jacob's  picture 
of  the  same  subject  printed  in  Paris  fifteen  years 
earlier.  Both  are  almost  pure  crayon  work.  Hanf- 
stangl's undoubtedly  much  superior  in  technical  facil- 
ity, but  hardly,  if  at  all,  better  in  characterization  or 
feeling  for  color  values. 

The  story  of  painter-lithography  in  Germany  and 
Austria  is  not  so  long  a  one  as  the  French  record. 
The  Achenbachs  both  drew  on  the  stone;  Andreas's 
"  Coast  of  Capri "  (1855)  is  of  special  interest  as  an 
example  of  lithographic  pen-drawing.  One  might  cite 
other  cases  of  sporadic  use  of  lithography,  but  there 


LITHOGRAPHY  223 

are  four  names  which  stand  out  above  the  rest: 
Kriehuber  and  Pettenkofen  in  Austria  and  Kruger 
and  Menzel  in  Prussia.  The  first  two  were  the  mas- 
ters of  original  lithography  in  Austria.  One  work  by 
Kriehuber,  who  drew  with  a  free  touch,  has  been 
reproduced  more  than  once  in  American  publications, 
I  believe.  That  is  the  "  Morning  with  Liszt  "  ( 1846), 
a  group  comprising  Liszt,  Berlioz,  Czerny,  Ernst  and 
Kriehuber  himself. 

Franz  Kruger,  known  as  Pferde-Kruger  on  account 
of  his  skill  in  depicting  horses,  not  only  did  military 
and  sporting  scenes,  but  also  a  number  of  portraits 
which  bring  him  close  to  some  of  the  best  Frenchmen 
in  this  field,  not  only  in  the  artistic  control  of  his 
medium,  but  also  in  his  insight  into  character. 

The  most  prominent  figure  among  German  painter- 
lithographers  was  that  remarkable  draughtsman,  Adolf 
von  Menzel.  His  earliest  published  work  of  impor- 
tance, "  Kiinstler's  Erdenwallen  "  ("Life  Journey  of 
an  Artist,"  1834),  executed  with  the  pen,  moves  in 
somewhat  conventional  technical  lines,  but  shows  orig- 
inality in  conception.  His  improvement  in  pen  work 
was  rapid,  and  it  was  in  the  same  medium  that  he 
eventually  published,  in  an  extremely  limited  edition, 
his  studies  (over  four  hundred)  of  the  uniforms  of  the 
army  of  Frederick  the  Great.  In  these  "  fashion  plates," 
the  figures  are  not  stiff,  but  full  of  life  and  action. 
His  "  Memorable  Events  in  the  History  of  Branden- 
burg and  Prussia"  (1836),  in  crayon,  with  an  occa- 
sional touch  of  the  scraper,  already  indicates  strongly 
his  faculty  for  historical  research,  as  well  as  his  ready 
grasp  of  technical  methods  whenever  he  approached  a 


224         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

new  medium.  But  the  work  which  fixes  his  promi- 
nence among  German  artist-lithographers  is  the  series 
of  six  plates  entitled,  "  Essays  on  Stone  with  Brush 
and  Scraper"  (1851).  In  these,  as  also  in  the  larger 
"  The  Boy  Christ  and  the  Doctors  in  the  Temple  "  (a 
characteristic  study  of  modern  Jewish  types),  he 
scraped  the  lights  out  of  an  ink  wash  on  the  stone, 
hence  the  introductory  vignette  on  the  title-page, 
showing  brush  and  scraper  dancing  a  wild  roundelay. 
With  what  virtuosity  this  method  is  here  used,  an 
examination  of  this  set  will  show. 

In  the  "  Transport  of  Prisoners  through  the 
Woods,"  movement  and  atmosphere  are  rendered  in 
remarkable  manner.  The  fearful  straining  of  the 
horses  to  pull  the  heavy  wagon  up  the  hilly,  muddy 
road,  the  dejected  attitude  of  the  soaked  prisoners, 
the  rider  galloping  toward  the  castle  dimly  seen 
through  the  mist  and  driving  rain — all  this  is  pic- 
tured with  absolute  sureness  and  perfect  command 
of  materials.  The  gloomy  effect  is  increased  by  the 
use  of  a  tint-stone,  that  is,  a  second  stone  from  which 
a  flat,  grayish  tint  is  printed  on  the  sheet.  In 
another  print  of  the  series,  "  The  Bear  Pit  in  the 
Zoological  Garden/'  the  scraper  indicates  in  white 
the  drops  of  water  thrown  off  from  the  pelt  of  one 
of  the  exceedingly  life-like  bears.  One  recalls  here 
the  different  method  of  Barye,  who  in  his  "  Bear  of 
the  Mississippi "  apparently  worked  up  the  black  hide 
from  light  to  dark,  adding  crayon-strokes  to  get  the 
required  depth,  doing  less  in  the  places  which  were 
to  appear  more  light. 

The  earliest  English  work  has  historical  rather  than 


LITHOGRAPHY  225 

artistic  interest,  C.  Hullmandel  being  somewhat  prom- 
inent as  a  printer  and  experimenter  who  brought  vari- 
ous improvements  into  the  art.  During  the  three  decades 
after  1820,  half-a-dozen  names  stand  out  with  some 
prominence.  Richard  P.  Bonington,  a  "  distinguished 
and  precious  nature,"  easily  takes  the  place  of  honor. 
He  died  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-eight,  but  left  some 
sixty  lithographs,  mostly  views  of  architectural  monu- 
ments, of  an  exquisite  delicacy.  These,  says  Beraldi, 
in  his  useful  dictionary  of  nineteenth-century  engrav- 
ers ("Graveurs  du  XIXe  Siecle"),  are  marked  by 
"  such  picturesque  qualities  and  so  personal  a  color 
that  they  acquire  the  importance  and  interest  of  veri- 
table original  compositions."  His  most  important 
work  appeared  in  Baron  Taylor's  voluminous  "  Voy- 
ages pittoresques  en  France  "  and  includes  the  "  Rue 
du  Gros  Horloge,  Rouen"  (1824),  generally  con- 
sidered his  chef  d'ceuvre,  and  the  "  Tour  du  Gros 
Horloge."  The  atmospheric  effect  of  the  first  and  the 
composition  and  clouds  of  the  second,  have  been  sin- 
gled out  for  special  commendation.  James  Duffield 
Harding  was  an  artist  of  some  mannerisms,  but  of 
amazing  facility  and  dexterity.  His  "  Sketches  at 
Home  and  Abroad"  (1836)  are  printed  from  two 
stones  in  tints,  with  whites  scraped  so  vigorously  out 
of  the  stone  that  they  stand  in  little  ridges  above  the 
paper,  which  has  been  forced  into  the  scraped  hol- 
lows in  printing.  "  The  Park  and  the  Forest " 
(1841)  was  drawn  on  the  stone  with  crayon  and  light 
brush  washes,  a  process  known  as  lithotint.  These 
two  sets  of  prints,  therefore,  illustrate  two  distinct 
lithographic  methods  in  the  hands  of  a  skillful  crafts- 


226         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

man  with  a  smooth  and  finished  style.  His  work 
shows  affinity  to  that  of  the  noted  Swiss  painter, 
Calame.  Smoothness  and  finish  also  characterize  the 
very  numerous  portraits  by  R.  J.  Lane,  who  had  a  cer- 
tain distinction  of  manner  which  raised  his  work 
above  the  commonplace  of  average  portraiture.  T. 
S.  Cooper's  "  Groups  of  Cattle,  Drawn  from  Na- 
ture "  (1839)  are  also  printed  with  a  yellowish  tint 
and  scraped  whites. 

To  jump  from  England  to  Spain  for  a  glance  at  the 
bull-ring  scenes  by  Goya,  is  to  emphasize  a  strong,  al- 
most crass,  contrast,  for  that  fiercely  eccentric  genius 
treated  the  stone  with  the  same  rough  energy  as  he 
did  the  copper. 

With  the  fifties  there  began  the  ascendency  of  com- 
mercial lithography.  Business  interests  finally  claimed 
the  art  as  their  own  and  it  passed  from  the  hands  of 
the  artists,  and  as  a  means  of  original  artistic  ex- 
pression was  thrust  practically  into  the  background. 
However,  commercial  exigencies  brought  about  great 
improvement  in  color-printing,  resulting  in  such  mas- 
terpieces as  Louis  Prang's  reproductions  of  the  ob- 
jects of  art  in  the  Walters  Collection.  They  have 
also  promoted  poster-designing,  which  Cheret,  Gras- 
set,  Willette  and  others  have  raised  to  the  dignity  of 
an  art. 

In  more  recent  years  there  has  become  manifest  a 
revival  of  interest  in  this  fascinating  art  of  painter- 
lithography.  And  the  most  interesting  feature  of  this 
renaissance  is  that  the  art  is  used  with  perhaps  a 
greater  variety  in  handling  than  ever  before,  certainly 
with  a  noteworthy  attempt  to  emphasize  its  flexibility 


LITHOGRAPHY  227 

in  the  revelation  of  individual  aim  and  temperament. 
In  looking  over  these  new  manifestations  of  the  art, 
instinct  with  modernity  in  purpose  and  statement,,  it 
is  not  the  generalizing  characterizations  of  "  silvery 
grays  "  or  "  velvety  blacks  "  that  come  to  mind  and 
lip,  but  the  outcome  of  individuality.  There  is  practi- 
cal independence  of  traditional  methods.  There  are 
the  usual  solecisms  which  naturally  and  inevitably 
accompany  efforts  to  find  new  forms  of  expression 
in  a  language,  be  that  language  literary,  artistic  or 
musical.  But  the  work  will  all  find  its  level. 

The  most  intense  and  interesting  expression  of  this 
new  movement  is  found  in  France  and  Germany,  al- 
though there  are  some  noteworthy  instances  in  Eng- 
land as  well.  The  fresh  note  of  modern  impulse  was 
sounded  in  the  album ( 1892)  of  the  French  "  Society  of 
Painter-Lithographers,"  with  contributions  by  H.  P. 
Dillon  (who,  in  his  graceful  conceits,  effectively  places 
pale  grays  and  strong  blacks  in  juxtaposition),  Carriere 
(who,  as  in  his  paintings,  serves  his  heads  of  Gon- 
court  and  others  in  a  vaporous  sauce),  Bracquemond, 
Cheret  (in  whose  cover  for  Felicien  Champsaur's 
"  Entree  de  Clowns  "  the  effect  of  spatter-work  in  the 
shadows  may  be  studied),  Aman-Jean,  Desboutin  the 
etcher,  Willette,  Rops  and  others.  Even  more  ad- 
vanced are  the  prints  in  " L'Estampe  Originate"  by 
Besnard,  Puvis  de  Chavannes,  Signac,  Toulouse-Lau- 
trec, among  others.  Most  of  these  are  color-prints, 
violent,  audacious  chromatic  trumpet  blasts  of  artistic 
revolt. 

Lunois  juggles  with  the  medium,  using  the  brush 
to  produce  an  astonishing  resemblance  to  wash  draw- 


228          HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

ings,  but  suppressing  his  identity  in  reproducing  work 
by  Daumier,  Ulysse  Butin  and  others.  In  repro- 
ductive lithography,  Paul  Maurou  has  shown  a  vigor- 
ous and  masterly  touch  in  drawings  after  J.  P. 
Laurens,  such  as  "  Mounet  Sully  as  Hamlet  "  (1889). 

Painters,  such  as  Dagnan-Bouveret,  Chartran, 
Ribot,  Detaille,  J.  Lewis  Brown  (whose  very  sum- 
mary sketches  are  touched  with  printed  color  notes), 
have  occasionally  taken  up  the  lithographic  crayon, 
with  interesting  results,  but  usually  not  with  sufficient 
application  to  leave  a  lasting  impress  on  the  art. 

One  of  the  most  noteworthy,  because  of  his  energetic 
devotion  to  the  enchanting  process  of  lithography,  is 
Fantin-Latour.  Originally  by  scraping  and  scoop- 
ing out  the  stone  with  an  old  razor,  and  subsequently 
by  working  on  rough-grained  transfer-paper,  he  ob- 
tained the  inequalities  of  surface  which  are  so  unlike 
the  polished  effect  of  the  professional  lithograph. 
Embossed  white  lines  in  his  lithographs  show  where 
the  paper  has  been  forced  into  the  un-inked  hollows 
thus  cut  out.  The  dreamy  imaginings  of  this  "  meloma- 
niac  painter  "  are  attempts  at  emotional  interpretation 
of  the  compositions  of  Wagner  and  others,  the  out- 
pourings of  a  sensitive  and  responsive  nature.  There 
is  a  charm  in  the  expression  of  his  manner,  the  grainy 
vapor  which  envelops  his  figures,  dimming  outlines 
and  details  into  indefiniteness  and  showing  an  ap- 
parent weakness  to  whoever  can  see  artistic  virility 
only  in  the  hardness  of  clean-cut  drawing.  If,  in  his 
well-developed  manner,  there  are  certain  notes  and 
chords  which  he  strikes  by  preference,  they  are  com- 
bined into  sonorous  harmonies  responding  to  everlast- 


PORTRAIT  OF  TOLSTOI. 
Lithograph  by  Henri  Lefort. 

This    lithograph    is    vigorously    scraped    and    the    background    manipulated 
with  stump  or  rag.      Lefort  is  best  known  as  an  etcher. 


LITHOGRAPHY  229 

ing  ideals  of  beauty  which  are  independent  of  schools 
and  prejudices. 

It  is  an  interesting  period,  this  time  of  new  ideals 
and  headstrong  reforms,  of  diverse  "  movements " 
and  tendencies,  a  period  which  produced  at  the  same 
time  the  joyous  frivolity  and  at  times  quite  unneces- 
sary outrageousness  of  a  Willette  and  the  obscure  and 
fantastic  symbolism  of  an  Odilon  Redon.  For  both 
the  lithograph  served  well;  "the  stone  was  made  for 
the  mystic,"  say  the  Pennells.  This  period  has  pro- 
duced works  so  entirely  different  as  Henri  Lefort's 
portrait  of  Tolstoi,  done  with  much  scraping,  and 
the  recent  efforts  of  Maurice  Neumont  to  gain  effects, 
as  in  a  little  "  study  "  of  the  nude,  by  running  long, 
parallel,  straight  crayon  lines  within  his  outlines. 

This  ferment  of  new  ideas,  this  freedom  from  rou- 
tine is  found  likewise  in  Germany,  where  the  spirit 
of  "  secession  "  finds  expression  in  the  general  tend- 
encies of  local  groups,  such  as  exist  in  Berlin,  Dresden, 
Munich,  Karlsruhe,  as  well  as  in  individual  originality 
and  sometimes  vagary.  For  the  German  will  push 
a  new  movement  to  its  utmost  logical  conclusion  with 
methodical  seriousness.  Even  the  occasionally  strong 
frankness  of  the  ultra-modern  caricatures  lacks  the 
light  frivolity  of  French  work,  showing  rather  a 
crushing  sarcasm,  as  mirrored  in  the  periodicals 
Jugend  and  Simplicissimus. 

In  lithography,  as  in  etching  and  wood  engraving, 
individual  expression  is  strongly  developed  in  these 
modern  Germans.  Hence  there  is  much  diversity  of 
method. 

Otto  Greiner,  with  a  fancy  for  satyrs,  centaurs, 


230         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

bacchantes  and  similar  fabulous  beings  of  by-gone 
times,  is  master  of  the  technical  means  that  lithog- 
raphy has  to  offer.  The  excess  of  modeling  in  his 
work,  which  marks  him  as  akin  to  the  etchers  Klinger 
and  Geyger,  is  in  striking  contrast  to  the  suggestive- 
ness  which  forms  the  chief  characteristic  and  beauty 
of  most  modern  work  on  copper  and  stone.  O. 
Rasch's  "  Interrupted  Devotion "  (an  old  woman 
looking  up  from  her  book)  and  Franz  Hoch's  "  Eifel- 
dorf,"  are  examples  of  what  may  be  accomplished  by 
scraping  and  wiping  on  a  tint.  The  archaism,  the 
vigorous  and  expressive  simplicity  of  Hans  Thoma, 
the  serious  embodiments  of  religious  subjects  by  W. 
Steinhausen,  have  a  place  by  themselves.  Cornelia 
Paczka's  figure  studies  executed  in  Algraphie  (on 
aluminium),  and  printed  in  red,  the  vigorous  head  of  a 
woman,  done  with  a  blue  tint,  by  Kathe  Kollwitz,  the 
fancies  of  Jettmar,  are  further  manifestations  of  pos- 
sible variety.  These  are  a  few  instances  selected  al- 
most at  random,  representing  no  hint  of  completeness, 
and  noted  simply  to  point  the  way  to  a  highly 
interesting  modern  development  in  the  revival  of 
lithography. 

As  in  the  more  recent  etchings  and  wood  engrav- 
ings, so  in  lithography,  the  frequent  use  of  color  is  a 
noteworthy  feature,  in  German  and  French  work,  at 
least.  It  is  a  far  cry  from  the  hand-coloring  of  the 
thirties  and  forties,  or  the  technically  remarkable  com- 
pleteness of  color  effect  in  commercial  work,  to  this 
modern  application  of  color  as  a  suggestion,  an  im- 
pression merely.  A  suggestion  so  slight  in  the  case 
of  Whistler's  "  apparently  unlaborious  notes  of  pass- 


LITHOGRAPHY  231 

ing  tones  and  tints "  (so  Miss  Gary  puts  it)  as 
to  appear  rather  like  an  expression  of  aesthetic  emotion 
than  an  attempt  to  indicate  realization.  With  Lunois 
the  application  of  color  is  much  more  realistic,  and 
in  his  "  Absinthe  Drinker  "  it  rises  to  a  vehement 
reveling  in  unctuous  blues  and  reds,  palpitating  in 
slight  unevenness  of  tone.  These  daring  effects  be- 
come more  crass  in  the  violent  efforts  of  some  of  the 
other  men. 

In  much  of  the  German  work  the  color  effect  is  dif- 
ferent again.  More  complete  at  first  sight,  perhaps, 
but  not  in  reality.  Only,  here  the  suggestion  often, 
particularly  in  the  case  of  the  Karlsruhe  Kiinstlerbund 
group  of  artists,  takes  the  form  of  flat,  even  tints. 
Such  work  is  essentially  decorative,  and  is,  in  fact, 
often  directly  intended  for  wall-ornamentation.  It 
bears  the  signatures  of  Volkmann,  whose  "  Waving 
Field  of  Grain  "  is  quite  familiar  outside  of  Germany; 
Kallmorgen,  Otto  Fischer,  Jenny  Fikentscher  and 
others.  Karl  Biese's  "  Winter  Mists  "  is  a  snow-piece 
of  a  delicacy  that  recalls  John  H.  Twachtman's  ren- 
dering of  the  exquisite  pulsation  of  subdued  color 
produced  by  the  play  of  light  and  shade  on  the  white 
surface.  Such  a  finished  effect,  as  well  as  the  en- 
tirely different  methods  of  the  versatile  Emil  Orlik, 
who,  in  "  Sonntagsmorgen  in  Brotzen  "  and  similar 
work,  applies  spotty,  flat  color  notes,  and  of  Max  Sup- 
pantschitsch,  who  will  produce  a  "  Moonlight "  in 
black,  with  a  blue  tint  (as  he  used  blue  paper  in  etch- 
ing), further  emphasize  both  diversity  of  individuality 
and  expression,  and  the  power  of  the  stone  to  ren- 
der it. 


232         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

The  one  principle  that  underlies  all  this  modern 
French  and  German  work,  whether  the  color  is  ap- 
plied with  frank  impressionism  in  slight  spots  or 
strokes,  or  with  decorative  use  of  tints  to  suggest 
complete  effect  (as  do  the  Japanese  in  their  wood- 
cuts), is  the  use  of  only  a  few  stones  to  print  primary 
colors.  This  is  in  strong  contrast  to  the  system  of 
building  up  a  chromo-lithograph  by  superimposing 
tints  from  numerous  stones,  twenty  if  necessary. 

Incidentally,  it  is  to  be  noted  that  this  lithographic 
work  printed  in  color  is  the  same  in  principle  as  the 
most  elaborate  commercial  productions.  There  is  a 
stone  for  each  color,  and  on  each  that  portion  of  the 
design  which  is  to  appear  in  the  color  in  question  is 
filled  in  with  black  crayon  or  ink,  the  color  being  of 
course  applied  in  the  inking.  Fuller  descriptions  of 
the  methods  of  color  printing  will  be  found  in  Auds- 
ley's  "Art  of  Chromolithography  "  (1883),  in  which 
progressive  stages  of  printing  are  illustrated  in  nu- 
merous plates.  Useful  books  are  also  those  by  the  two 
French  printers,  Lemercier  and  Duchatel.  The  lat- 
ter's  "  Traite  de  Lithographic  Artistique  "  (1893)  is 
a  really  practical  treatise  for  the  artist,  in  which  all 
sorts  of  methods  are  described  and  illustrated. 

A  group  of  three  Dutchmen  accentuates  as  many 
differences  in  style.  The  summariness  of  Storm  van 
's  Gravesande,  who  shows  the  same  brevity  and  sim- 
plicity of  method  as  in  his  etchings;  the  uncom- 
promising exactness  of  Jan  Veth,  as  in  his  portrait  of 
Menzel,  and  the  vague  indefiniteness  of  M.  Bauer,  a 
sort  of  Monticelli  on  stone  and  copper. 

Two  of  the  most  noteworthy  exponents  of  painter- 


LITHOGRAPHY  233 

lithography  in  England,  Whistler  and  Pennell,  have 
been  of  American  birth.  Whistler  molded  the  medium 
to  his  manner  with  the  same  deftness  of  touch  and 
succinctness  in  his  lithographs  as  in  his  etchings, 
"  St.  Giles  "  and  "  Soho  "  being  noteworthy  examples. 
In  a  few  instances  he  strove  for  tone-effects,  as  in 
"  Limehouse "  (quite  dark,  with  some  scraping), 
"  The  Tall  Bridge  "  or  the  wonderful  lithotint  "  Early 
Morning,"  which  really  constitute  a  remarkable  appeal 
to  artists  to  cultivate  an  art  which  is  so  responsive 
to  the  touch,  and  permits  of  such  different  methods 
as  the  crayon-line,  and  the  tint  worked  up  by  means 
of  scraper  and  rag  wiping.  Usually,  however, 
Whistler  employed  the  crayon  alone,  in  joyous  utili- 
zation of  the  lightness  and  tenderness  of  the  gray  line. 
His  lithographs,  says  Pennell,  "  were  executed,  not 
to  fill  the  order  of  an  editor  or  publisher,  not  in  re- 
sponse to  fads  or  movements,  but  because  lithography 
happened  to  be  the  method  of  artistic  expression 
which,  at  the  time,  met  his  need  and  mood.  This  it 
is  which  gives  his  lithographs  their  distinction.  They 
have  the  freshness,  the  spontaneity  which  is  the  very 
life  of  the  art."  When  he  worked  on  transfer  paper 
he  usually  completed  the  drawing  after  it  had  been 
transferred  to  the  stone.  The  grain  of  the  transfer 
paper  is  quite  apparent  in  some  of  Whistler's  figure 
studies,  among  them  the  "  Little  Nude  Model,  Read- 
ing," with  its  exquisitely  rendered  feeling  of  flesh. 

This  paleness  of  line,  this  abstention  from  strong 
blacks,  is  a  feature  also  in  the  lithographs  of  C.  H. 
Shannon,  the  exquisite  modulations  of  which  show 
that  the  gray  line  need  not  be  dull  and  lifeless  as  it 


234         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

once  was,  often  enough,  and  in  those  of  Will  Rothen- 
stein,  whose  "  English  Portraits,"  however,  constitute 
more  directly  characterized  portraiture  than  the  simply 
suggestive  "  Pennell  "  by  Whistler. 

The  value  of  the  gray  is  accented  also  by  Alphonse 
Legros,  who  in  his  bust  portrait  of  Tennyson  wearing 
a  hat,  approaches  the  shimmering  delicacy  of  a  silver- 
point  drawing,  while  preserving  the  full  strength  of 
sympathetic  characterization.  He  has  indeed,  as  Pen- 
nell says,  the  "  fine  repose  and  serenity  "  of  an  old 
master. 

The  influence  of  Whistler  may  be  traced  in  "  The 
Shop  "  and  similar  prints  by  Joseph  Pennell,  form- 
ing part  of  the  "  Spanish  Series,"  well  characterized 
by  Whistler  himself  as  crisp  and  light.  The  sketchy 
outlines  of  these  lithographs  give  place  to  fuller  tones 
in  his  "  Holland  "  series,  while  in  the  views  of  Rouen 
Cathedral  he  strikes  deep  notes  of  vigorous  black 
which  throw  his  delicate  treatment  of  architectural 
detail  into  strong  relief.  Pennell's  work  is  as 
interesting  as  it  is  varied  in  style.  But  there 
are  other  evidences  of  diversity  of  method  in  Eng- 
land. Legros  himself  portrayed  Champfleury  in 
a  frank,  freely  drawn  crayon  sketch.  Hubert 
Herkomer  handles  the  scraper  with  rich  force  in 
"  Abendlied,"  one  of  the  illustrations  in  "  Six  Easy 
Pieces  for  the  Violin,"  composed  by  himself.  Frank 
Short,  a  master  of  various  processes,  showed  painter- 
like  qualities  in  a  landscape  sketch  in  crayon,  with  a 
man  in  a  boat  in  the  foreground.  The  impression 
which  I  saw  was  in  a  rich  brown  ink.  Thomas  R. 
Way,  son  of  the  Thomas  Way  who  did  much  to  in- 


PORTRAIT  OF  TENNYSON. 
Lithograph  by  Alphonse  Legros. 

This  print  approaches  a  silver-point  drawing  in  delicacy.  Comparison 
of  this  with  Lefort's  portrait  of  Tolstoi  will  show  some  of  the  variety  in 
effect  to  be  drawn  from  the  lithographic  stone. 


LITHOGRAPHY  235 

duce  Whistler  and  others  to  take  up  lithography,  has 
drawn  architectural  beauties  of  London,  and  is  known 
as  the  translator  into  black-and-white  of  Whistler's 
portrait  of  his  mother. 

Alma  Tadema,  G.  F.  Watts,  Marcus  Stone  and 
Alfred  Parsons  also  practiced  the  art  in  a  desultory 
manner,  and  J.  McLure  Hamilton's  experiments  in- 
cluded some  portraits  of  Gladstone  in  color. 

And  where  do  American  artists  stand  in  this  new 
movement?  They  have  not  yet  entered  on  the  eve 
of  a  revival,  apparently.  Yet  ability  is  not  wanting, 
nor  some  record  of  past  achievement.  Not  a  long 
record,  it  is  true.  It  begins  with  Rembrandt  Peale's 
large  portrait  of  Washington  (the  one  in  the  stone 
frame,  be  it  understood!),  which  shows  such  a  grasp 
of  the  possibilities  of  the  new  art  that  the  insignifi- 
cance of  his  smaller  portraits  is  not  easy  to  account 
for.  It  passes,  this  record,  over  the  long  list  of  com- 
mercial work,  of  mediocre  portraits  which  saw  the 
light  in  the  thirties,  forties  and  fifties,  to  note  the 
personality  or  the  individual  work  standing  out  clearly 
above  the  rest.  Such  a  one  is  the  portrait  of  W.  P. 
Dewees,  after  Neagle,  by  M.  E.  D.  Brown,  who 
here  rises  above  himself  in  a  stunning  bit  of  effect, 
with  vague  outlines  and  strong  shadows,  with  appar- 
ent influence  of  the  old-style  stipple  engraving  on 
copper  in  the  treatment  of  the  coat.  Or  occasional 
performances  by  F.  D' Avignon,  or  Albert  Newsam. 
Newsam  did  much  work  of  deadly  dullness,  but  also 
some  of  such  merit  that  I  know  of  two  or  three  ama- 
teurs at  least  who  have  made  collections  of  his  por- 
traits. The  graceful  and  facile  touch  and  smooth 


236         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

manner  of  Napoleon  Sarony  were  exercised  mainly  in 
commercial  work. 

Perhaps  the  first  example  of  pure  painter-lithogra- 
phy is  Thomas  Moran's  "Solitude"  (1869),  a  view 
on  Lake  Superior,  a  picturesque  and  finished  per- 
formance. Entirely  different  in  style,  simple  in  sub- 
ject and  treatment,  with  a  quiet  charm  of  their  own, 
are  J.  Foxcroft  Cole's  "Pastorals"  (1870),  eight  in 
all.  To  the  work  of  these  two  men  are  to  be  added 
the  half-a-dozen  Civil  War  "  Campaign  Sketches  "  of 
Winslow  Homer,  and  Wm.  M.  Hunt's  two  prints  of 
a  little  hurdy-gurdy  player  and  a  flower-girl,  the  lat- 
ter especially  delightful  in  its  painter-like  qualities. 
If  such  achievements  appeared  to  hold  promise  of 
future  effort,  the  promise  was  not  fulfilled,  beyond 
a  few  attempts  by  Edwin  White  and  others,  and  much 
later  by  C.  A.  Vanderhoof.  In  the  nineties  an  attempt 
was  made  to  found  an  American  Society  of  Painter- 
Lithographers.  It  came  to  nothing,  although  a  num- 
ber of  artists  tested  the  capabilities  of  lithography  as 
an  autographic  art.  Tested  it,  too,  in  some  cases,  with 
a  noteworthy  understanding  of  its  potentialities.  The 
effective  use  of  the  scraper  in  two  figure  pieces  by  the 
experimental  J.  Alden  Weir  shows  that.  So  do  the 
two  Paris  views  by  H.  W.  Ranger,  especially  "  On 
the  Seine,"  in  which  the  artist  has  admirably  caught 
the  atmosphere  of  a  wet  day  with  its  tremulous  gray 
sky  and  its  glint  of  rainy  pavement. 

A  crayon-and-scraper  sketch  of  a  lady  in  an  opera 
box  (1891)  constitutes  an  "early  and  only  attempt" 
by  Miss  Cassatt,  and  John  S.  Sargent  has  drawn  some 
studies  of  models  in  big,  black  strokes.  And  what 


• 


LITHOGRAPHY  237 

are  we  doing  to-day?  After  these  sporadic  but  prom- 
ising efforts  of  the  past,  what  have  we  to  show  to-day 
if  we  leave  out  Whistler  and  Pennell?  Albert  Sterner 
has  done  masterly  figure  studies.  A.  B.  Davies  shows 
sensitive  adaptation  of  the  medium  to  various  subjects. 
Robert  J.  Wickenden  produced  such  characteristic 
pieces  as  "  La  Mere  Panneqaye."  C.  F.  W.  Mielatz 
used  lithography  to  good  effect  in  a  series  of  twelve 
views  of  the  less  familiar  landmarks  of  New  York 
City,  executed  for  the  "  Society  of  Iconophiles." 
Add  W.  J.  Glackens,  John  Sloan  and  Ernest  Haskell, 
and  you  have  about  all.  To  that  and  to  the  few  other 
prints  which  I  have  mentioned  the  collector  of  Ameri- 
can painter-lithographs  is  limited,  and  he  may  be 
thankful  if  he  can  get  some  of  those. 

It  is  a  pity  that  an  art  so  supple  in  expression,  so 
fascinating  in  its  rich  resources,  so  absolute  in  its 
reproduction  of  the  artist's  touch  without  the  inter- 
vention of  any  other  agency,  should  not  have  called 
forth  a  fuller  and  readier  response  to  its  appeal. 
Whatever  the  cause,  or  causes,  we  can  but  hope  that 
present  conditions  are  not  final;  that  there  will  come 
the  spirit  and  energy  to  take  up  this  art,  and  the  public 
appreciation  necessary  to  support  the  effort. 

The  excellent  work  accomplished  in  the  first  half 
of  the  nineteenth  century  so  identified  the  art  with 
certain  aspects  of  method,  virtuosity  in  rendering  the 
scale  of  gradations  from  the  white  of  the  paper  to 
deep  richness  of  black,  that  to  the  conservative  the 
modern  methods  that  have  been  applied  to  the  stone 
must  have  seemed  at  first  very  revolutionary.  These 
pencil-sketch-like,  light,  vapory  impressions  of  a 


238          HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

Whistler  were  so  different  from  the  rich,  resounding 
tones  of  an  Isabey.  These  colorings  of  a  Lunois 
threw  such  a  startlingly  novel  note  into  the  technique 
of  the  art,  a  note  that  rose  to  some  shrillness  with 
Toulouse-Lautrec  or  Ibels. 

Experiments  in  seeking  new  ways  of  using  an  art 
are  not  only  allowable,  but  necessary  and  commenda- 
ble. Otherwise,  we  should  not  have  seen  such  a 
movement,  for  instance,  as  impressionism  in  painting. 
Experiments  are  born  of  a  desire  for  giving  expression 
to  emotions  and  ideals  in  new  ways,  and  are  very  apt 
to  lead  to  extremes,  at  first,  in  the  struggle  for  recog- 
nition of  new  aims.  Energetic  devotion  to  reform 
in  any  activity  in  life  generally  produces  some  fanatics 
who  overshoot  the  mark.  To  them,  the  object  to  be 
attained  assumes  such  proportions  of  importance  that 
balance  is  lost  and  taste  departs  from  view.  And  that 
condition  of  affairs  is  aggravated  by  Philistine  in- 
difference or  opposition. 

But  that  is  never  a  reason  for  throwing  over  a 
movement  in  its  saner  and  final  aspects.  As  long  as 
the  expression  is  within  the  limits  of  the  medium  it 
is  legitimate.  The  writer  does  not  borrow  from  other 
tongues  in  order  to  produce  beautiful  passages  in 
English.  The  sculptor  who  models  a  bas-relief  does 
not  expect  to  encroach  on  the  specific  domain  of  paint- 
ing by  applying  elaborate  gradations  of  color  or  aerial 
perspective.  The  same  rule  applies  to  the  arts  which 
we  are  considering  in  the  present  book,  the  rule  that 
the  means  must  be  fitted  to  the  end  and  the  end  to 
the  means,  the  old  truth  that  a  medium  cannot  over- 
step its  limits.  Now,  the  limits  of  lithography  are 


LITHOGRAPHY  239 

quite  wide  in  extent.  And  the  essays  of  the  last 
fifteen  years  or  so  have  shown  us  that  the  art  held 
within  itself  further  possibilities  of  expression,  possi- 
bilities which  could  serve  the  younger  element  of 
to-day  as  the  art  served  those  brilliant  Frenchmen 
of  the  thirties  whose  work  has  stood  as  its  very 
embodiment. 


CHAPTER  IX 


THE  only  reason  for  including  this  chapter  is  the 
importance  of  these  processes  in  reproductive  art.  As 
a  medium  for  direct  expression,  as  a  painter's  art,  they 
do  not  come  into  consideration.  For  the  fact  that 
Frank  Short,  or  Felix  Bracquemond,  has  worked  on 
photogravure  plates  simply  indicates  the  experimenta- 
tive  nature  of  clever  technicians. 

Innumerable  processes  have  been  invented  to  take 
the  place  of  the  various  methods  of  engraving  by 
hand,  natural  agencies  being  substituted  in  order  to 
attain  greater  cheapness  by  diminishing  the  amount  of 
labor  and  time  used.  These  "  substitute  processes," 
as  they  are  called,  depend  on  etching  (such  as  the 
Gillot  or  Comte  processes)  or  on  mechanical  agencies 
(such  as  the  Collas  metal  ruling  machine),  on  the 
making  of  casts  by  electro-deposition,  etc. 

But  it  is  with  the  entrance  of  the  camera  as  a  factor 
in  such  processes  that  they  came  to  play  an  extensive 
part  in  the  dissemination  of  art  knowledge,  particu- 
larly in  the  illustration  of  books  and  magazines.  In 
the  latter  field  they  have  practically  supplanted  wood 
engraving.  They  give  the  artist  the  same  freedom,  as 
to  size  and  medium  of  the  original  drawing,  that  was 

240 


THE  PHOTOMECHANICAL  PROCESSES     241 

already  noted,  in  the  chapter  on  wood  engraving,  in 
connection  with  photographing  on  the  wood  block. 
Truth  and  speedy  and  cheap  production  are  their 
principal  claims. 

There  are  numerous  processes  for  the  reproduction, 
in  a  printable  form,  of  the  photographic  image,  all 
being  based  on  the  properties  of  resinous  or  glutinous 
substances  and  the  changes  which  they  undergo  under 
the  influence  of  light. 

Asphaltum,  for  example,  becomes  insoluble  when 
exposed  to  light.  If  a  metal  plate  is  coated  with 
asphaltum  and  exposed  under  a  photographic  negative, 
the  parts  under  those  portions  of  the  latter  which 
transmit  light  will  become  insoluble,  while  the  others 
can  be  dissolved,  laying  bare  the  plate.  If  the  latter 
is  then  subjected  to  the  action  of  acid,  the  portions 
protected  by  the  hardened  asphaltum,  representing  the 
lines  of  the  design,  will  be  left  standing  in  relief.  The 
result  is  therefore  a  relief  plate,  which  can  be  printed 
together  with  letterpress,  on  an  ordinary  press,  a  mat- 
ter of  great  advantage.  This  is  the  system  much  used 
in  newspaper  work,  and  is  exemplified  (with  certain 
changes  as  to  substances  used)  by  zinc  etching  and 
other  processes.  Obviously,  if  the  plate  is  exposed 
under  a  positive,  an  intaglio  plate  will  result. 

Gelatine,  again,  swells  in  cold  and  dissolves  in  hot 
water,  but  loses  these  properties  if  mixed  with  a 
bichromate  and  exposed  to  light,  gaining  the  power 
of  resistance  to  acid  in  the  operation.  If  a  plate  is 
covered  with  a  bichromatized-  gelatine  film,  exposed 
under  a  negative  and  then  washed  in  cold  water, 
the  lines  protected  by  the  black  portions  of  the  nega- 


242          HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

tive,  representing  the  whites  of  the  design,  swell 
("swell-gelatine  process")  and  thus  form  a  mold 
from  which  plates  suitable  for  relief  printing  are 
produced.  Or  a  reversed  negative  can  be  used,  the 
gelatine  hardening  under  the  clear  spaces  of  the  nega- 
tive, representing  the  black  lines  of  the  drawing. 
Warm  water  dissolves  the  unchanged  gelatine, 
("wash-out  process"),  leaving  the  design  in  relief. 
From  this  a  wax  mold  is  made,  and  herefrom  a  relief 
electrotype. 

These  are  line  processes. 

To  reproduce  masses,  tones,  tints,  gradations,  a  way 
had  to  be  found  of  disintegrating  them,  breaking  them 
up  into  lines  or  dots,  to  produce  printable  plates.  Two 
noteworthy  results  of  experiments  in  this  direction  are 
the  half-tone  and  the  photogravure:  the  first  a  relief, 
the  second  an  intaglio  process. 

By  the  half-tone  process,  a  glass  plate  with  a  net- 
work of  black  lines  (several  hundred  to  the  inch  in 
fine  work)  is  interposed  between  the  drawing  or  other 
object  to  be  photographed  and  the  camera.  A  sensi- 
tized copper  plate  thus  receives  an  image  which  is 
broken  up  into  minute  dots,  as  the  light  can  only  pene- 
trate the  spaces  between  the  intersections  of  the  lines. 
The  plate  is  then  etched,  the  acid  attacking  only  those 
portions  which  were  not  struck  by  the  light.  The 
design  to  be  printed  is  thus  left  in  relief.  This  is 
the  method  generally  used  for  magazine  and  book 
illustration  where  the  original  drawing  is  not  one 
of  lines  absolutely.  It  necessitates  a  smooth  paper, 
brittle,  perishable  and  unpleasant  to  the  eye. 

The   other   method   is   that   of   the   photogravure. 


THE  PHOTOMECHANICAL  PROCESSES     243 

This  involves  the  combination  of  a  gelatine  film  with 
a  photographic  image  and  an  aquatint  ground,  and 
is  likewise  an  etching  process,  resulting  in  an  intaglio 
plate. 

Both  the  half-tone  and  the  photogravure  need  re- 
touching. Especially  the  former,  which  is  low  in  tone, 
so  that  the  high  lights  are  scraped  out  by  hand,  an 
operation  quite  noticeable  in  the  print,  the  dots  being 
absent  in  the  portions  thus  scraped. 

Photogravure,  being  an  intaglio  process,  cannot  be 
printed  with  type,  but  must  be  struck  off  separately  on 
a  plate-press,  which  naturally  makes  it  more  expensive. 
It  is  essentially  a  vehicle  for  the  reproduction  of 
paintings. 

The  collotype  (phototype,  Lichtdruck)  is  printed 
directly  from  a  gelatine  film  which  has  been  exposed 
under  a  negative,  and  through  resultant  chemical  ac- 
tion has  acquired  the  property  of  receiving  printing 
ink  in  proportion  as  light  has  acted  on  the  negative, 
that  is,  accepting  ink  on  the  blacks  of  the  image  and 
rejecting  it  on  the  whites,  like  the  lithographic  stone. 

Collotyping,  which  is  a  planographic  or  surface- 
printing  process,  has  been  used  with  special  success  in 
making  facsimiles  of  old  prints  and  drawings,  of  great 
value  for  purposes  of  study,  and  so  well  done  that  it 
has  been  found  necessary  to  stamp  them  "  facsimile." 

A  very  compact  summary  of  the  principal  ones  of 
all  these  many  processes  appears  in  the  late  S.  R. 
Koehler's  catalogue  of  an  exhibition  held  in  the  Bos- 
ton Museum  of  Fine  Arts  in  1892.  General  principles 
remain  the  same,  although  many  improvements  in 
matters  of  detail  have  been  made  since  then.  It  is  to 


244          HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

be  noted  also  that  there  are  various  names  for  similar 
processes,  with  some  resultant  confusion  of  terms. 

The  advantages  of  photography  itself  as  a  means 
of  keeping  comparatively  truthful  record  of  architec- 
tural monuments,  have  been  accented  by  Russell  Stur- 
gis,  who  very  properly  adds  that  the  artistical  char- 
acter is  not  in  the  photographic  picture,  but  in  the 
object  which  it  reproduces. 

Photography  is  also  the  most  satisfactory  method 
of  reproducing  paintings  for  the  student  of  style  and 
manner.  Once,  difficulties  were  offered  by  the  ina- 
bility of  the  ordinary  camera  to  render  all  colors  in 
their  exact  value  in  black  and  white,  the  blues  appear- 
ing too  pale,  yellows  too  dark.  This  defect  has  been 
corrected  by  the  use  of  orthochromatic  (isochromatic) 
plates.  The  importance  of  such  an  improvement,  in 
giving  a  proper  photographic  translation  of  a  paint- 
ing, need  not  be  insisted  upon. 

Efforts  to  photograph  direct  in  natural  colors  have 
culminated,  for  the  present,  in  the  recent  invention 
of  Lumiere.  But  for  ordinary  purposes,  the  really 
practical  result  of  many  experiments  in  this  field  is 
an  indirect  one,  the  application  of  the  three-color  prin- 
ciple to  half-tone  plates.  Three  negatives  are  ob- 
tained, each  of  which,  by  the  use  of  orthochromatic 
plates  and  so-called  filters,  is  adjusted  for  the  rays  of 
one  of  the  primary  colors.  The  negatives  are  made, 
in  the  regular  way,  into  half-tone  blocks,  each  one 
of  which  shows  only  that  portion  of  the  picture  which 
is  to  be  printed  in  one  of  the  three  colors.  Such 
three-  and  four-color  processes  have  been  used  in  the 
reproduction  of  works  of  art  (paintings,  porcelains, 


THE  PHOTOMECHANICAL  PROCESSES     245 

book-bindings),  as  well  as  in  reproductions  of  water- 
color  drawings  to  illustrate  modern  books  of  travel. 
This,  of  course,  is  not  color-photography,  though  it 
has  been  called  so.  In  fact,  it  is  well  to  understand 
clearly  the  undoubted  advantages  of  these  processes 
as  means  of  producing  pictorial  documents,  as  well  as 
their  defects  and  limitations,  and  not  to  claim  for 
them,  or  expect  from  them,  more  than  they  can 
render.  For  even  then  they  offer  enough  to  make  us 
thankful,  while  nursing  our  optimism  in  the  hope  for 
improvement. 


CHAPTER  X 
COLOR  PRINTS 

THE  desire  to  produce  and  to  see  pictures  in  color 
is  a  natural  one.  It  shows  itself  even  in  the  primitive 
attempts  of  the  child  who  daubs  over  old  woodcuts 
with  the  water-colors  which  have  brightened  its  birth- 
day or  Christmas  morning.  Thackeray,  it  is  said, 
described  the  joy  which  this  gave  him  in  his  boyhood, 
and  Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  in  his  volume  of  "  Mem- 
ories and  Portraits,"  gives  charming  expression  to  this 
childish  delight.  The  title  of  his  essay,  "  A  Penny 
Plain  and  Twopence  Colored,"  calls  attention  to  the 
practice  of  publishing  prints  in  both  uncolored  and 
colored  states.  Children  had  professional  hand  in  this 
work,  for  Tuer,  in  his  "  Forgotten  Children's  Books," 
describes  how  the  coloring  on  such  books  was  done 
for  the  publishers  by  young  people  in  their  'teens,  one 
putting  in  all  the  reds,  the  next  all  the  yellows,  and 
so  on. 

Coloring  by  hand  has  been  applied  to  woodcuts, 
mezzotint,  stipple,  etching,  aquatint,  line  engraving 
and  lithography. 

But  while  the  practice  of  hand-coloring  has  come 

down  to  our  own  time,  experiments  in  color-printing 

were  made  from  the  very  first.     They  extended  to 

(  every  known  method  of  preparing  wood  blocks,  or 

246 


COLOR  PRINTS 

metal  plates,  or  stones  for  rendering  impressions.' 
There  is  not  one  of  the  reproductive  arts  'dealt  with 
in  the  preceding  chapters  to  which  attempts  at  color- 
printing  have  not  been  applied,  more  in  one  case,  less 
in  another.  In  block-book  initials  and  chiaroscuro 
prints,  in  Japanese  chromo-xylographs,  Baxter-prints 
and  wallpapers,  in  mezzotints,  aquatints  and  stipple- 
engravings  in  color,  in  experiments  of  centuries  ago 
to  produce  accurate  copies  of  paintings  and  in  the 
most  modern  efforts  to  throw  a  mere  suggestion  of 
color  into  an  etched  plate,  there  arises  a  brilliantly 
chromatic  array  of  witnesses  to  the  fascination  which 
the  art  of  printing  in  colors  has  held  for  several 
centuries. 

As  to  the  justification  of  the  use  of  color  on  aesthetic 
principles,  and  the  extent  to  which  it  may  be  used 
in  good  taste,  that  is  a  matter  which  each  one  must 
settle,  to  some  extent,  for  himself.  But,  if  the  color- 
print  be  accepted,  there  are  certain  limits  which  will 
come  to  be  felt  instinctively,  and  these  limits  once 
fixed,  time  will  not  be  wasted  on  unworthy  work,  but 
the  best  in  this  field  will  be  chosen.  And  that  will  be 
found  to  project  itself  with  some  distinctness  in  this 
peculiar  phase  of  taste  in  art,  which  winds  like  a  red 
thread  through  the  records  of  all  known  processes  of 
printing  pictures. 

While  even  the  period  of  the  incunabula  (books 
printed  before  1500)  was  not  without  its  experiments 
in  color-printing,  the  vast  majority  of  the  prints  in 
color  were  colored  by  hand  at  that  time.  Jost  Amman, 
in  1568,  drew  what  to-day  is  a  valuable  record,  a  series 
of  three  pictures  showing  the  designer,  the  engraver 


248         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

and  the  colorer  at  their  several  tasks.  What  color- 
printing  there  was,  was  from  wood  blocks,  and  it  is 
through  the  agency  of  wood  engraving,  also,  that  the 
more  ambitious  method  known  as  "  camaieu "  or 
"  chiaroscuro  "  was  put  into  practice.  The  step  from 
such  simple  tints  to  more  complicated  color-printing 
was  again  natural.  In  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  John  Baptist  Jackson,  who  applied  the 
chiaroscuro  method  to  the  production  of  wallpaper, 
extended  it  also  to  the  attempt  to  imitate  objects  in 
their  natural  colors.  This  work  was  continued  by  W. 
Savage,  whose  interesting  "  Practical  Hints  on  Dec- 
orative Printing,  with  Illustrations  Engraved  on  Wood 
and  Printed  in  Colors  at  the  Type  Press"  (1822), 
contains  creditable  specimens  of  his  work.  In  1835, 
George  Baxter  took  out  a  patent  on  his  method  of 
color-printing,  which  consisted  essentially  in  the  ap- 
plication of  color  printed  from  wood  blocks,  to  out- 
lines engraved  on  a  copper  "  key-plate  "  giving  the 
form.  This  use  of  wood  blocks  to  print  color 
over  an  impression  from  an  etched,  engraved  or 
mezzotinted  plate  was  known  long  before  this,  but 
Baxter  applied  more  colors  and  consequently  more 
blocks. 

GThe  most  artistic  expression  in  the  art  of  printing 
n  colors  from  wood  blocks  came  from  Japan.  Where 
Baxter's  work  forms  the  culmination  of  the  effort 
to  imitate  perfection  in  all  details,  these  Orientals 
use  color  with  decorative  effect  primarily.  Through 
them  the  art  of  wood  engraving,  neglected  to-day  in 
favor  of  photographic  processes,  has  in  its  simplest 
form,  but  with  the  assistance  of  color,  held  the  atten- 


COLOR  PRINTS  249 

tion  of  various  able  artists  and  has  had  a  far-reaching 
influence. 

During  these  centuries  color-printing  from  metal 
plates  was  separately  developed.  And  in  both 
possible  directions,  with  the  use  of  one  plate  only, 
to  which  all  the  colors  were  applied  and  then  im- 
pressed on  the  paper  at  one  printing,  and  with  the 
use  of  a  plate  for  each  color,  the  paper  receiving 
impressions  successively  from  them  all.  In  color-, 
printing  from  different  plates,  it  is  of  course  neces- 
sary that  each  portion  of  the  engraving  is  always 
relatively  in  the  same  position  on  each  plate,  and 
that  the  paper,  in  the  press,  always  lies  in  exactly 
the  same  place  on  the  plate.  This  is  called  register, 
and  proper  register  is  more  or  less  assured  by  certain 
marks  on  the  plate.  Despite  all  precautions,  faulty 
register  occurs.  Its  effects  are  quite  apparent  in 
cheap  lithographs  or  Sunday  comic  supplements. 

Early  experiments  in  the  sixteenth  century  include 
those  of  Hercules  Seghers,  who  is  said  to  have  printed 
outlines  from  an  etched  plate  on  colors  applied  by 
hand  to  canvas  or  paper,  and  Johannes  Teyler,  who 
produced  delicate  landscape,  animal  and  other  sub- 
jects in  one  printing.  With  C  Le  Blon  (1667-1741) 
we  come  to  more  certainty  regarding  processes.  He 
worked  on  the  principle  of  three  primary  colors — 
yellow,  blue  and  red — making  a  mezzotint  plate  for 
each.  In  theory,  all  necessary  color  combinations 
could  be  attained  with  these  three;  in  practice,  the 
effect  was  somewhat  elusive,  for  to  resolve  a  paint- 
ing into  its  component  colors  was  not  so  easy  a  mat- 
ter. Gautier  D'Agoty  later  added  a  fourth  plate,  to 


2$o         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

print  the  design  in  black  and  thus  give  body  to  the 
whole.  The  "  three  color  "  principle  is  applied  to-day 
in  photomechanical  processes,  but  there  the  camera  de- 
termines what  is  to  appear  on  each  color  plate. 

In  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  Ploos  van 
Amstel  was  cleverly  imitating  the  drawings  of  Dutch 
and  Flemish  masters  in  plates  that  are  somewhat  puz- 
zling, but  in  which  signs  of  aquatint,  roulette  and 
other  methods  can  be  traced.  A  number  of  his  plates 
appear  in  the  volume  "  Collection  d'Imitations  de 
Dessins  d'apres  les  principaux  Maitres  Hollandais  et 
Flamands."  Louis  Bonnet,  who  worked  in  the  crayon 
manner,  imitated  pastel  drawings,  "  with  complete 
illusion  "  we  are  told,  using  a  plate  for  each  color. 

William  Blake,  that  strange  genius,  stands  by  him- 
self. Not  only  because  of  his  originality  as  a  poet 
and  an  artist,  which  has  occupied  the  attention  of 
various  biographers  and  commentators.  But  also  for 
a  technical  reason;  the  other  methods  of  printing  from 
metal  plates  are  intaglio  processes,  while  his  is  a  relief 
process.  The  printing  is  done  from  lines  standing  out 
in  relief,  not  from  lines  cut  into  the  plate.  Blake 
himself  called  this  method  "  To  Wood-cut  on  Cop- 
per." He  wrote  the  text  and  drew  the  designs  of  his 
"  Songs  of  Innocence  "  and  other  poems  on  a  copper 
plate,  presumably  with  the  stopping-out  varnish  used 
by  etchers,  or  some  similarly  protecting  substance. 
When  the  plate  was  then  subjected  to  the  action  of 
acid,  it  remained  intact  wherever  he  had  written  or 
drawn  upon  it,  while  the  remainder  was  bitten  away. 
Thus,  text  and  drawings  were  etched  in  relief,  and 
could  be  printed  from.  One  color  was  usually  applied 


COLOR  PRINTS  251 

for  the  text  and  another  for  the  pictures  and  orna- 
ments, and  after  printing  the  whole  was  tinted  by 
hand.  Blake's  books  are  extremely  rare  to-day,  but 
some  will  be  found  in  public  libraries,  and  certain  ones 
have  been  reproduced  in  facsimile,  among  them  the 
"  Songs  of  Innocence." 

So  experiments  in  color-printing  went  on,  and  they 
have  gone  on  to  the  present  day. 

The  alliance  between  color  and  the  photomechanical 
processes  was  a  natural  outcome  of  the  desire  to 
heighten  the  exactness  of  reproduction  of  the  camera 
by  adding  the  final  element  of  color.  Some  remarka- 
ble color  reproductions  of  paintings  have  already  been 
effected.  The  usefulness  of  this  cooperation  between 
the  camera  and  color-printing  is  further  demonstrated 
in  various  books  on  porcelain,  Oriental  rugs  and  other 
art  objects,  which  are  increasing  the  possibilities  of 
art  instruction  through  the  printed  page.  And  the 
present-day  outpour  of  English  books  descriptive  of 
special  countries  or  cities,  illustrated  in  color,  from 
sketches  in  aquarelle,  also  indicate  both  achievements 
and  possibilities  in  this  line. 

Color  prints  had  their  special  day  in  the  eight-  J 
eenth  century.  Mezzotints  and  stipple-engravings  fre- 
quently appeared  in  color.  Sometimes  they  are  simply 
printed  in  one  tint,  as  are  occasionally  the  small  bust 
stipple  portraits  by  Chapman  and  others,  or  the  anony- 
mous mezzotint  portrait  of  Paul  Jones,  telescope  in 
hand,  which  collectors  know  in  a  reddish-brown  ink. 
Or  they  appear  in  black,  with  a  touch  of  red,  as  on 
cheek  and  sleeves  in  J.  R.  Smith's  "  Mrs.  Robinson  " 
after  Romney.  This  application  of  color  in  spots, 


252          HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

which  seems  of  questionable  taste,  just  as  it  does  in 
half-tone  plates  to-day,  may  also  be  done  entirely  by 
hand,  as  in  an  impression  of  J.  R.  Smith's  "  Mrs. 
Sneyd  as  '  Serena,'  "  shown  in  New  York  in  1904, 
in  which  sash,  cap  and  face  were  touched  up  with 
color. 

The  term  "  printed  in  colors  "  is  always  used  with 
a  mental  reservation,  for  a  color  stipple  or  mezzotint 
absolutely  untouched  by  hand  is  rather  rare.  The 
art  of  color-printing  is  so  complicated,  the  tricks  of 
inking  so  many,  the  blending  of  colors  so  delicate  an 
operation  and  the  knowledge  of  the  manner  in  which 
a  certain  color  will  print  under  certain  conditions  so 
difficult  to  acquire,  that  the  "  personal  element "  is  a 
strong  factor  in  this  operation. 

A  simple  rule  to  tell  color-printing  from  hand- 
coloring  is  this :  If  the  dots  or  lines  show  in  pure  blue 
or  red,  or  whatever  the  color  may  be,  the  color  is 
printed;  if  they  appear  black  or  brown  under  the 
color,  then  the  latter  has  been  supplied  by  hand.  Or, 
to  put  it  in  another  way :  If  the  dots  and  lines  are  in 
color,  and  the  spaces  between  them  are  white,  it  is 
a  case  of  printing;  if  the  spaces  are  covered  over  with 
the  same  color  as  the  dots  or  lines,  it  is  hand-work. 

Where  the  stippling  is  very  fine,  close  examination 
is  necessary  to  determine  this.  There  is  a  portrait 
of  R.  J.  Schimmelpenninck,  by  L.  Portman,  a  Dutch 
publication,  not  a  work  of  high  art,  but  a  good,  deli- 
cate bit  of  stippling.  It  is  only  under  a  magnifying 
glass  that  the  tender  flesh-tint  resolves  itself  into 
hand- work,  only  the  bluish  background  and  the 
brownish  frame  being  printed  in  color. 


COLOR  PRINTS  253 

Color  may  raise  the  question  of  inferiority  of  im- 
pression, for  it  was  not  unusual  to  cloak  the  short- 
comings of  a  worn  plate  by  printing  it  in  colors.  In 
fact,  the  mezzotint  plate  gave  better  results  in  color- 
printing  after  a  certain  number  of  impressions  in 
black-and-white  had  first  been  struck  off.  The  mar- 
ket is  flooded  with  restrikes  and  even  more  with  mod- 
ern reproductions  of  these  eighteenth-century  color- 
prints,  known  and  sold  as  such,  but  possible  traps 
for  the  unwary  when  in  irresponsible  hands.  Mrs. 
Julia  Frankau's  "  Eighteenth  Century  Color  Prints  " 
(1900)  is  profusely  illustrated  with  very  good  repro- 
ductions of  color-prints  from  metal  plates,  and  there 
are  also  some,  of  both  English  and  French  work,  in 
Vol.  V.  of  Lippmann's  "  Engravings  and  Woodcuts  by 
Old  Masters."  x 

Lithography  accentuates  the  fact  that  the  grained 
surface  lends  itself  more  readily  to  detailed  applica- 
tion of  color,  and  fairly  invites  its  application.  The 
Germans  are  bringing  the  old  art  of  chromo-lithog- 
raphy  to  its  own,  and  the  modern  Frenchmen  come 
out  with  bold  realism  of  color. 

"  L'Estampe  moderne,"  issued  in  1897,  with  plates 
by  Robbe,  Leandre,  Fantin-Latour,  Mucha,  many  of 
them  done  in  lithography,  is  an  outcome  of  this 
modern  effort.  Even  more  so  "L'Estampe  origi- 
nale,"  brought  out  four  years  earlier,  with  contribu- 
tions by  Toulouse-Lautrec,  Ibels,  Whistler,  Henri 
Riviere,  Lepere,  Willette,  Lunois,  Rodin,  in  etch- 
ing, lithography  and  wood  engraving.  More  or  less 
tinged  with  opposition  to  conventions  is  this  and  sim- 
ilar work.  A  stumbling-block  to  the  Philistine,  oc- 

1 A    work    on    the    subject    in    general,    "  Colour    Printing    and    Colour 
Printers,"  by  R.  M.  Burch,  was  published  in  1910. 


254         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

casionally  a  bit  outrageous  in  its  screamed  defiance  or 
its  exultant  whoop,  but  nearly  always  with  some  point 
of  interest,  some  freshness  of  view,  some  novelty  of 
statement. 

Whether  we  are  attracted  by  color  in  etching  or  not, 
we  may  be  quite  sure  that  the  thing  is  to  be  well  tested. 
The  artists  whose  names  are  cited  in  the  chapters  on 
etching  and  lithography  have  been  and  are  applying 
that  test. 

The  liking  for  work  in  color,  as  I  said  at  the  begin- 
ning of  this  summary  review,  is  a  natural  one.  It  has 
no  doubt  been  expressed  at  times  in  a  rage  for  work 
unworthy  of  serious  attention,  silly  and  weak  in  con- 
ception and  execution,  touched  up  into  a  fictitious 
semblance  of  naturalness  by  a  little  coloring  covering 
its  artificiality.  But  in  more  ambitious  and  conscien- 
tious efforts  one  may  find  delight,  both  technical  and 
artistic,  in  delicate  tints  applied  in  good  taste.  One 
may  even  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  not  so  much 
a  matter  either  of  simply  indicating  slight  impressions 
of  color  or  of  giving  completeness  of  effect,  but  that 
in  either  event  the  thing  be  well  done.  In  that  case 
justification  will  be  found  for  both  the  smooth  finish 
and  completeness  of  a  Debucourt  or  the  spots  of  color- 
suggestion  in  an  etching  by  Raffaelli  or  a  lithograph 
by  Whistler.  And  that  because,  though  personal 
choice  will  draw  you  more  definitely  to  the  one  or  the 
other,  you  take  pleasure  in  the  workmanship  of  it  all, 
if  it  be  exercised  not  only  for  its  own  glorification. 

Adjustment  of  means  to  end  is  an  eternal  necessity. 
The  medium  must  be  allowed  to  dictate  its  limits. 
The  etching  cannot  be  expected  to  carry  the  same 


COLOR  PRINTS  255 

amount  of  completeness  in  color  as  the  complicated 
aquatint  method  of  the  eighteenth-century  French- 
men, for  instance.  Keep  this  in  mind.  If  color-prints 
attract  you,  you  will  indeed  still  meet  the  criticism 
of  him  who  maintains  that  black-and-white  is  the 
proper  sphere  of  the  print  and  its  most  chaste  form 
of  expression,  a  standpoint  from  which  the  present 
writer  has  not  yet  been  able  to  emancipate  himself 
altogether.  But  you  will  be  exercising  your  prefer- 
ence on  the  safe  and  sane  line  of  appropriateness,  an 
essential  test  of  good  taste.1 

:In  1910  there  appeared  R.  M.   Burch's  "Colour  Printing  and 
Colour  Printers." 


CHAPTER  XI 
COLLECTING 

THE  handbooks  on  prints  often  lay  stress  on  col- 
lecting in  their  very  titles.  I  have  emphasized  appre- 
ciation. The  development  of  that  faculty  seemed 
more  important.  The  collecting  habit  is  sure  to  assert 
itself  if  there  is  the  slightest  predisposition. 

According  to  his  pocketbook  and  taste,  the  amateur 
may  collect  the  finest  specimens  of  etching  (limiting 
himself,  perhaps,  to  one  or  two  great  names,  say  Rem- 
brandt, or  Whistler)  or  of  mezzotint,  paying  several 
thousand  dollars  apiece  for  some  of  the  rarest.  Or  he 
may  take  up  lesser  lights,  less  expensive.  He  may  even 
follow  Hayden's  sensible  advice  and  collect  old  Eng- 
.lish  magazines,  such  as  Once  a  Week  or  the  Cornhill, 
for  the  sake  of  the  wood  engravings  after  Millais, 
Walker,  Sandys,  Whistler,  Pinwell  and  others.  This 
hint  to  the  collector  of  very  modest  means  might  well 
be  extended  to  cover  periodicals  with  wood  engrav- 
ings of  the  New  American  School.  And  if  one  suc- 
ceeds in  picking  up  stray  back  numbers  of  P.  G. 
Hamerton's  Portfolio,  or  the  Revue  de  I' Art,  L'Art, 
U Artiste,  Zeitschrift  fur  Bildende  Kunst,  many  a 
pleasing  etching  or  lithograph  will  be  procured.  The 
expense  is  likely  to  be  very  moderate,  and  the  enjoy- 
ment great. 

256 


COLLECTING  257 

Of  enjoyment  the  discriminating  collector  is  always 
assured.  It  is  said  that  Hippesly  fairly  breakfasted 
on  the  beauties  of  Turner's  "  Liber  Studiorum,"  hav- 
ing a  print  from  this  series  placed  on  the  chair  oppo- 
site to  him  at  his  meal.  Print-collecting  in  a  proper 
spirit  not  only  trains  artistic  discrimination,  but  also 
enlarges  the  view  of  life,  and  opens  up  "  a  world  of 
learning  and  of  pleasure."  And  it  has  also  been  em- 
phasized, as  an  argument  pro,  that  little  space  is  taken 
up  by  the  ordinary  collection,  as  it  can  be  very  com- 
pactly placed. 

There  are,  occasionally,  eclectic  collectors,  who  ac- 
quire fine  examples  of  any  of  the  processes, — the  line 
engraving  by  Morghen,  the  lithograph  by  Whistler, 
the  etching  by  Haden.  But  the  preference  is  usually 
for  specialization.  Attention  is  devoted  to  the  par- 
ticular process,  or  school,  or  individual  artist,  or  sub- 
ject that  appeals  most  to  the  collector's  artistic  tastes 
and  other  interests.  But  specialization  with  a  view 
to  relative  completeness  should  not  be  applied  to 
Diirer  or  Rembrandt  or  Whistler,  unless  there  is 
ability  to  stand  the  financial  strain  involved  in  the 
procuring  of  their  rarest  and  finest  prints. 

The  necessity  of  a  definite  plan  has  been  urged  by 
some,  in  order  to  avoid  being  overwhelmed  by  the 
mass  of  a  miscellaneous  collection  acquired  haphazard. 
It  is  well  to  go  slowly,  and  to  keep  one's  head  in  print 
shop  and  auction  room. 

A  change  of  mind  should  be  indulged  in  frankly, 
with  the  courage  of  conviction,  when  it  occurs. 

I  heard  once  of  a  young  clerk  who  began  to  develop 
a  taste  for  etchings,  and  for  a  while  bought  certain 


258         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

large  and  showy  reproductions.  In  time  his  eyes  were 
opened,  and  one  day  he  went  to  a  salesman  of  the 
dealer  from  whom  he  had  been  purchasing,  and  said : 
"  Now,  see  here.  You  know  I've  been  on  the  wrong 
tack.  I  don't  want  these  things  any  more."  The 
upshot  was  that  he  returned  his  purchases  to  the 
dealer,  who  allowed  him  a  fair  amount  for  them  on 
his  future  acquisitions.  His  taste  had  decidedly  de- 
veloped, and  he  used  his  not  very  large  surplus  to 
good  effect. 

The  value  of  prints  as  investments  is  frequently 
dwelt  upon.  It  is  undoubted  in  various  cases.  But 
that  should  not  influence  us  to  the  extent  of  making 
us  buy  things  that  we  do  not  care  for,  because  we 
anticipate  that  they  will  hold  their  values  or  rise. 
Buy  with  judgment  always,  but  let  the  judgment 
be  artistic  first  and  commercial  afterward.  If  the  two 
coincide,  all  the  better.  I  knew  a  collector  who,  I 
feel  confident,  purchased  his  prints  only  because  they 
were  fine  examples  of  art.  When  he  died,  his  col- 
lection was  practically  the  only  asset.  But  his  heirs 
had  no  cause  for  complaint,  for  the  prices  which 
his  prints  brought  in  the  auction  room  justified  his 
selection. 

Many  collectors  have  been  in  the  habit  of  writing 
their  names  or  initials,  or  stamping  the  same,  or 
monograms,  or  devices,  on  the  prints  in  their  pos- 
session. Facsimiles  of  such  collectors'  marks  are 
given  in  the  books  of  Fagan,  Maberly  and  Wessely. 
Some  of  them  are  a  direct  recommendation  of  a  print 
offered  for  sale.1 

The  would-be  collector  needs  practice.    Dependence 

1 "  Collectors'   Marks,"   by   Louis   Fagan    (1883),   reproduces  668   of   such 
marks. 


COLLECTING  259 

on  a  reputable  dealer,  certainly  at  first,  is  to  be  recom- 
mended. And  "if  in  doubt,  wait,"  is  a  good  piece 
of  advice.  He  will  have  occasion  to  refer  to  various 
books,  many  perhaps,  in  the  course  of  his  activity. 
Manuals  specially  intended  for  him  have  been  written 
by  Wiltshire,  Maberly,  Whitman,  Wessely,  Wedmore 
and  others.  There  are  many  reference  books,  which 
have  been  noted  in  the  various  chapters  of  the  pres- 
ent volume,  and  the  annotated  catalogues  of  exhibi- 
tions issued  by  some  dealers  are  frequently  worth 
preserving. 

Some  idea  of  prices  is  useful.  Printed  records  of 
sales  must  be  used  with  some  caution,  when  the  items 
are  bare  of  any  information  as  to  the  condition  of  the 
print.  Variations  in  price  between  impressions  of  the 
same  engraving  may  be  recorded  without  comment, 
leaving  one  to  guess  that  they  were  probably  due  to 
difference  in  condition  or  state.  Lists  such  as  those  in 
J.  Herbert  Slater's  "  Engravings  and  Their  Value  " 
(London,  1912),  or  the  Year's  Art  (London),  the 
American  Art  Annual  (New  York),  the  Connoisseur 
(which  also  answers  queries  as  to  the  value  of 
prints  in  its  "Answers  to  Correspondents")  and  the 
Kunstmarkt  (Leipzig),  supply  to  a  considerable 
extent  the  demand  for  a  record  of  prices.1  A 
bird's-eye  view  of  present-day  prices  in  the  whole 
field  of  prints  is  offered  in  Gustave  Bourcard's  "  A 
travers  cinq  Siecles  de  Gravures,  1350-1903,"  which 
volume  also  gives  much  other  useful  information,  such 
as  lists  of  print-rooms,  print  dealers,  printers  and 
sales,  technical  terms  in  English,  French  and  German, 
the  whereabouts  of  specially  noteworthy  collections 

1  To  these  should  be  added  G.  Bourcard's  "  La  Cote  des  Estampes  "  (1912) 
and  "  Annuaire  des  Ventes,"  by  Leo  Delteil,  ist  year:  Oct.  ign-June  1912. 


260         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

of  prints  by  certain  individual  artists,  etc.  Prices 
brought  by  the  work  of  individuals  are  recorded  in 
monographs  on  those  artists  (such  as  Tuer's  on  Barto- 
lozzi,  Bouchot's  on  Debucourt),  or  in  books  by  au- 
thors who  happened  to  be  interested  in  the  artist  in 
question.  Prices  paid  for  Turner's  "  Liber,"  for  ex- 
ample, are  set  down  in  Wedmore's  "  Fine  Prints," 
and  Hardie's  "  English  Colored  Books "  similarly 
deals  with  William  Blake.  The  last-named,  like  poor 
Meryon,  forms  one  of  the  cases  which  give  writers 
an  opportunity  to  moralize  on  the  irony  of  fate  which 
permits  the  works  of  a  man  who  has  lived  in  poverty 
to  bring  high  prices  after  his  death. 

Good  impressions  should  be  sought,  but  not  neces- 
sarily rare  or  early  states.  Various  cases  cited  in  the 
next  chapter  show  why  an  early  state  of  a  plate, 
though  bringing  high  prices  because  rare,  may  repre- 
sent an  unfinished  conception  and  be  aesthetically  and 
technically  inferior  to  the  final  state  of  the  plate.  Or, 
as  it  has  been  punningly  expressed,  a  print  may  be 
"  rare  because  not  well  done." 

An  example  of  the  opposite  case  was  once  cited  by 
a  well-known  print  dealer,  who  said  that  he  had 
bought  one  of  the  portraits  in  Van  Dyck's  "  Iconog- 
raphy "  in  both  states,  namely,  the  etching  as  Van 
Dyck  had  left  it,  and  the  same  with  the  engraver's 
burin-work  superadded,  paying  just  fourteen  hundred 
times  as  much  for  the  "  unfinished  "  as  for  the  "  fin- 
ished "  print. 

Rarity  may  be  due  to  various  causes.  The  vicissi- 
tudes of  time  may  have  reduced  the  number  of  im- 
pressions in  existence;  an  accident  to  the  plate,  or 


COLLECTING  261 

its  confiscation  by  the  authorities,  may  have  occurred 
when  only  a  few  proofs  had  been  pulled ;  the  plate  may 
have  been  privately  printed  in  a  limited  edition,  or 
its  merit  may  be  such  that  all  known  impressions  are 
in  noted  public  and  private  collections,  so  that  one 
rarely  comes  into  the  market. 

Collecting  may  become  curiosity-hunting.  Rem- 
brandt etched  a  sleeping  dog  in  a  corner  of  a  plate 
measuring  about  4*4  inches  by  2l/2.  He  subsequently 
got  rid  of  the  superfluous  white  space  by  cutting  down 
the  plate  to  3)4  x  J/4-  But  an  impression  of  the  first 
state  ("before  the  plate  was  cut")  had  been  taken, 
and  that  was  purchased  in  1841  by  the  British  Mu- 
seum, which  gave  £120  for  it,  the  excess  in  price  over 
an  impression  of  the  later  state  being  paid  for  white 
paper  within  the  plate-mark,  as  Hamerton  says,  which 
Rembrandt  considered  useless.  Whistler's  "  The 
Desk  "  has  brought  $450 ;  the  fact  that  only  a  few 
impressions  were  taken  is  the  chief  reason  why  it  is 
prized.  In  the  case  of  the  etched  portrait  of  his 
mother,  of  which  only  one  print  is  known  (which  has 
sold  for  $1,750),  rarity  and  merit  coincide.  If  finan- 
cial means  permit  the  acquisition  of  the  rarity,  it  will 
at  the  very  least  have  its  distinct  value  as  a  contribu- 
tion to  the  history  of  the  artist's  development.  But 
for  the  ordinary  mortal,  the  safe  and  sane  method 
is  usually  to  look  for  the  good  thing  irrespective  of 
rarity  or  state,  the  impression  from  the  plate  as  it 
was  finally  adjudged  satisfactory  by  the  engraver  or 
etcher  himself,  usually  the  first  finished  state. 

Some  prints  have  increased  remarkably  in  price. 
The  collector  of  mezzotints  may  well  regard  with 


262         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

envy  the  low  prices  paid  by  Walpole.  Thomas  Wat- 
son's mezzotint,  "Lady  Bampfylde "  (1779),  after 
Reynolds,  which  sold  for  £37  at  the  Sir  John  Stuart 
Hippesly  sale  at  Sotheby's  in  1868,  has  in  recent  years 
brought  £1,200.  It  was  originally  sold  at  about  fif- 
teen shillings  for  a  proof,  and,  say,  five  to  seven 
shillings  for  a  print.  Another  famous  mezzotint,  J. 
R.  Smith's  "  Mrs.  Carnac,"  went  for  £30  at  Sotheby's 
in  1872;  in  1901  it  brought  £1,218.  A  late  proof  of 
the  same  plate  sold  for  £1,160  in  the  following  year, 
and  I  am  told  that  the  most  recent  price  for  a  proof 
of  this  engraving  is  $6,090.  The  Sun  of  New  York 
on  August  25,  1907,  recorded  the  sale  of  a  colored 
impression  of  Bartolozzi's  "  Miss  Farren,  after  Law- 
rence," for  $2,900,  and  added  the  statement  that 
Lawrence  had  received  $500  for  the  original  painting. 
Rembrandt's  "  Hundred  Guilder  Print  "  has  gone  up 
to  £1,750,  his  "  Rembrandt  with  a  Drawn  Sabre  " 
has  brought  £2,000,  and  the  "  Burgomaster  Six  "  over 
$12,000. 

These  are  high  prices,  indeed,  but  they  are  prices 
forced  up  by  a  strong  demand  for  a  limited  number 
of  prints  by  a  limited  number  of  men.  The  field  is 
large  and  there  is  much  interesting  work  to  be  had 
at  much  less  expense. 

We  are  told  that  even  to-day  a  collection  can  be 
formed  on  a  comparatively  small  outlay.  That  is, 
if  you  do  not  insist  on  limiting  yourself  to  the  biggest 
game,  or  attaching  yourself  to  a  prevalent  fad.  There 
is  good  work  to  be  had,  less  sought  after  and  there- 
fore less  expensive,  by  the  older  men  as  well  as  the 
modern.  It  would  be  queer  indeed  if  the  would-be 


COLLECTING  263 

collector  did  not  find  something  to  attract  him  in  the 
wide  diversity  of  individual  temperament  and  national 
expression  unrolling  itself  as  one  surveys  the  long 
record  of  production,  which  is  being  extended  to-day. 

A  print-collector  need  not  be  an  antiquarian;  etch- 
ing and  engraving  and  lithography  are  living  arts. 
There  are  not  a  few  men  to-day  working  earnestly 
and  cleverly  in  these  fascinating  black-and-white 
methods.  They  are  doing  it  in  your  own  country, 
and  you  have  but  to  look  about  you  to  see  produc- 
tions worthy  of  your  notice.  Have  faith  in  your 
appreciation  of  younger,  contemporary  artists.  That 
will  not  prevent  you  from  enjoying  the  great  ones, 
even  though  they  be  beyond  the  possibilities  of  your 
pocketbook. 

Whether  you  collect  prints  or  enjoy  them  without 
collecting  them,  you  are  sure  to  become  inquisitive  as 
to  their  make-up.  You  will  wish  to  have  some  idea 
of  the  way  in  which  they  are  produced,  what 
"  proofs  "  and  "  states "  are,  what  "  remarque " 
means,  or  "  counterproof,"  or  "  restrike."  Such  ap- 
parently dry  details  lose  their  dryness  when  their  con- 
sideration has  become  a  second  nature,  when  the  eye 
looks  for  them.  They  will  be  dealt  with  in  the  fol- 
lowing chapter. 


CHAPTER  XII 
THE  MAKING  OF  PRINTS 

To  judge  a  print  intelligently,  one  should  have  a 
general  idea  of  the  manner  in  which  it  was  produced. 
For  only  on  the  basis  of  such  knowledge  can  one  see 
why  an  etching  or  engraving  or  lithograph  is  what 
it  is,  and  why  it  is  objectionable  to  overstep  the  limits 
which  are  fixed  by  the  tools  used,  and  the  material 
on  which  they  are  used.  Technique  has,  therefore,  been 
dealt  with  in  each  of  the  preceding  chapters  devoted  to 
etching,  mezzotint,  wood  engraving  and  the  other 
processes.  There  these  processes  are  considered  in 
their  artistic  expression.  But,  in  handling  old  prints, 
a  knowledge  of  certain  earmarks  is  necessary,  in  order 
to  decide  on  authenticity  and  condition.  And  these 
outward  signs  are  also  the  result  of  the  manner  in 
which  the  print  was  produced.  But  it  is,  so  to  speak, 
a  matter  of  the  mechanics,  rather  than  of  the  aes- 
thetics, of  production  that  holds  us  here.  It  is  a 
question  of  how  the  actual  print  was  produced,  of  the 
processes  involved,  subsequent  to  the  preparation  of 
the  block  or  plate  by  etching  or  engraving.  This  in- 
formation the  present  chapter  is  to  give,  facts  as 
to  the  development  of  the  "  impression,"  as  the  indi- 
vidual print  is  called,  through  printing,  from  the  work 
of  the  engraver  or  etcher  or  lithographer  on  the  mate- 

264 


THE  MAKING  OF  PRINTS  265 

rial  (wood,  copper,  stone)  with  the  proper  tools 
(graver,  etching-needle,  lithographic  crayon). 

All  processes  of  producing  prints  are  based  on  three 
methods :  the  relief,  the  intaglio  and  the  planographic. 
In  the  first  the  line  to  be  printed  from  is  cut  around 
so  as  to  stand  in  relief  above  the  surrounding  sur- 
face. Of  this  the  wood  engraving  is  an  example. 
In  the  second,  the  line  to  hold  ink  for  printing  is 
cut  in  intaglio,  cut  into  the  plate.  Such  channels  to 
hold  ink  are  the  lines  in  engraving  or  etching  upon 
copper.  The  third  method  is  that  of  the  lithographic 
process,  where  the  lines  are  practically  on  the  surface 
of  the  stone.  So  there  is  either  a  ridge,  a  furrow  or 
a  fatty  streak  to  hold  ink. 

From  these  facts  one  may  draw  a  fairly  precise 
definition  of  the  word  print :  namely,  "  an  impression 
in  ink  or  other  colored  fluid  on  paper,  vellum  or  other 
suitable  material,  from  a  design  incised,  or  cut  in 
relief,  or  drawn  with  fatty  substance,  upon  a  hard 
material  (metal,  wood  or  stone)."  Singer  and 
Strang's  "  Etching  and  Engraving  and  the  Other 
Methods  of  Printing  Pictures "  and  Hamerton's 
"  Drawing  and  Engraving "  and  "  Graphic  Arts," 
are  useful  guides  to  details,  with  pictorial  illustra- 
tions of  the  various  processes. 

There  are  certain  characteristics  to  guide  one  in 
ascertaining  by  which  of  the  three  methods  a  print 
has  been  produced.  In  an  impression  from  an  intaglio 
plate  (engraving,  etching)  the  ink  lines  stand  out  in 
relief  upon  the  paper,  and  the  picture  is  bounded  by 
an  indentation  made  in  the  paper  by  the  four  sides  of 
the  plate,  and  known  as  the  "  plate-mark,"  which  one 


266         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

does  not  see  on  a  visiting  card  because  the  card  is 
smaller  than  the  plate.  In  a  print  from  a  relief-block 
(wood  engraving)  the  ink  lines  lie  flat  upon  the  paper, 
and  may  even  have  been  pressed  slightly  into  it.  In 
a  lithograph  (planographic  process)  there  is  a  certain 
smoothness  of  the  paper,  because  it  has  been  scraped 
evenly  against  the  stone,  and  the  ink  has  a  more  gray- 
ish tone  than  in  the  wood  engraving,  beside  which 
the  quality  of  the  crayon  line  is  a  distinct  one  and 
almost  unmistakable.  Line  engraving  on  copper  pro- 
duces clean-cut  tapering  lines,  etched  lines  are  of 
more  uniform  thickness  and  executed  with  more 
freedom,  the  dry-point  line  is  delicate  and  usually 
has  a  velvety  black  border  resulting  from  the  "  burr  " 
or  ridge  of  metal  thrown  up  by  the  point  as  it  cuts 
into  the  copper,  the  modern  wood  engraving  shows 
white  lines  on  a  black  ground.  Mezzotint  and  aqua- 
tint depend  on  tones,  not  on  lines,  the  former  being 
capable  of  gradual  transitions  from  rich,  deep  darks 
to  lighter  shades  (in  which  latter  you  can  trace  the 
work  of  the  scraper  in  cross-like  markings),  while 
the  aquatint  has  no  gradation,  but  flat  tints  (of  a 
speckled  or  crackled  effect)  of  various  degrees  of 
strength,  often  definitely  circumscribed  and  not  pass- 
ing gradually  into  the  next. 

I  must  say  frankly  that  I  consider  such  directions 
for  the  identification  of  printing  methods  somewhat 
questionable,  on  the  whole.  How  can  one  absolutely 
tell  a  novice  how  to  distinguish  definitely  between  a 
lithograph  and  a  soft-ground  etching?  Practice  does 
more  good  than  long  talking.  Even  the  few  hints  I 
have  given  cannot  invariably  be  applied,  for  the  print 


THE  MAKING  OF  PRINTS  267 

may  show  no  plate-mark  because  the  margins  have 
been  cut  down,  the  plate  may  have  been  worn  so  that 
we  cannot  feel  the  lines  in  relief  on  the  print,  the  burr 
may  have  disappeared  or  the  artist  may  have  used 
mixed  methods.  Or  a  woodcut  may  be  printed  in 
grayish  ink,  and  the  "  white  line "  may  be  imitated 
on  copper,  as  by  C.  W.  Sherborn  in  his  copy  of  a 
woodcut  by  Thomas  Bewick,  a  remarkable  piece  of 
imitation.  Practice  for  the  eye  is  the  main  guide  in 
the  end,  and  thus  one  will  learn  to  distinguish  be- 
tween the  lines  or  surfaces  produced  by  the  various 
tools  and  processes. 

Increasing  familiarity  with  prints  will  enable  one 
also  to  get  an  idea  of  the  condition  of  the  printing 
surface,  and  of  the  approximate  time  in  its  history, 
when  a  given  impression  was  struck  off,  the  "  state  " 
of  the  plate,  as  it  is  called. 

The  words  "  state  "  and  "  proof  "  often  occur,  and 
call  for  explanation.  Their  use  is  not  always  well- 
defined.  In  a  general  way  it  may  be  said  that 
"  proof "  is  usually  applied  to  an  impression  taken 
from  the  plate  in  the  earlier,  clearly  unfinished  stages, 
while  "  state  "  is  used  to  indicate  stages  of  relative 
completeness.  Meryon's  "  L'Abside  de  Notre  Dame  " 
may  serve  to  illustrate  this.  Wedmore  records  the 
following : 

"  There  are  some  curious  trial  proofs,  one  of  which 
shows  nearly  half  the  plate  blank. 

"  First  state,  before  any  letters.    Sky  completed. 

"  Second  state.  Underneath,  on  the  left :  C.  Me- 
ryon.  del.  sculp,  mdccdiv;  on  the  right:  Imp.  Rue 
neuve  St.  Etienne-du-Mont  26. 


268         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

"  Third  state.    Date  removed. 

"  Fourth  state.  Remainder  of  inscription  removed, 
and  replaced  by :  L'Abside  de  Notre  Dame  de  Paris, 
1853,  and  A.  Delatre,  Imp.  R.  St.  Jacques,  265." 

As  the  engraver  or  etcher  works  on  his  plate,  he 
takes  an  impression  occasionally,  to  get  the  effect  of 
what  he  has  done.  Such  impressions  are  known  as 
"  trial  proofs  "  or  "  working  proofs."  When  such 
proofs  of  old  engravings  have  been  preserved,  they 
may  be  exceedingly  instructive.  An  impression  of 
Mantegna's  "  Virgin  in  Grotto,"  unfinished,  gives  an 
interesting  insight  into  the  engraver's  method,  as  do 
proofs  of  Diirer's  "  Adam  and  Eve,"  which  show 
that  he  filled  in  each  portion  of  his  outline  to  com- 
plete finish  before  going  on  to  the  next.  And  the 
completest  collection  extant  of  wood  engravings 
by  F.  Juengling  includes  separate  proofs,  on  scraps 
of  paper,  of  heads  in  his  "  John  Brown  Going  to 
Execution,"  after  Thomas  Hovenden.1 

The  number  of  trial  proofs  varies  greatly.  If  five 
or  less  are  taken  of  an  original  etching,  the  large 
elaborate  reproductive  etchings  have  frequently  neces- 
sitated considerably  more.  The  progressive  stages 
of  such  etchings  as  those  by  Bracquemond  after 
Meissonier's  "  Quarrel "  or  Millet's  "  Man  with 
the  Hoe,"  can  be  followed  up  in  a  dozen  successive 
proofs. 

Sometimes  one  comes  across  "  counter-proofs,"  pro- 
duced by  placing  an  impression  just  taken,  with  the 
ink  still  fresh,  on  a  sheet  of  paper  and  running 
them  through  the  press.  The  result  is  a  weaker  im- 
pression, reversed.  Such  exist  of  plates  by  Jacque 

1  There  is  an  interesting  proof,  in  Dresden,  of  a  Burgkmaier  block,  with  sky 
portions  not  yet  cut  away. 


PORTRAIT  OF  EDMOND  DE  GONCOURT. 

Etching  by  Felix  Bracquemond. 
First   state. 

This  plate  and  the  following  one  illustrate  the  matter  of  states,  dealt  with 
on  page  268. 


THE  MAKING  OF  PRINTS  269 

and  Millet,  for  instance,  and  mezzotints  are  also  said 
to  have  been  proved  in  this  way.1 

Proofs  exist  which  have  been  touched  up  by  hand 
to  indicate  portions  which  are  to  be  made  lighter  or 
darker.  A  farther  element  of  interest  is  added  when 
such  corrections  are  made  by  the  painter  whose  pic- 
ture is  reproduced  in  the  engraving  in  question,  thus 
showing  that  the  work  was  done  more  or  less  under 
his  supervision.  Rubens  corrected  plates  by  Vorster- 
man  and  others  with  pencil  and  white  body-color. 
Reynolds  corrected  the  proofs  of  the  mezzotints  exe- 
cuted after  his  paintings,  as  did  also  Lawrence  and 
others.  J.  M.  W.  Turner's  supervision  of  the  mezzo- 
tinters  who  did  his  "  Liber  Studiorum  "  was  constant 
and  thorough.  Trial  proofs,  to  be  seen  in  New  York, 
of  his  "  Norham  Castle  "  and  "  Clyde  "  in  that  series 
have  penciled  written  directions  beside  the  drawn  cor- 
rections. I  have  seen  similar  written  notes  by  D.  G. 
Rossetti  on  a  "  touched  "  proof  of  a  wood  engraving 
by  Linton  after  an  illustration  by  him  in  the  Moxon 
edition  (1858)  of  Tennyson's  "  Poems." 

Many  interesting  instances  might  be  cited  of 
changes  resulting  from  corrections,  and  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  they  are  brought  about.  Buhot's  work 
is  full  of  such  examples.  Francis  Bullard's  catalogue 
of  the  exhibition  of  Turner's  "  Liber  Studiorum,"  at 
the  Boston  Museum  of  Fine  Arts  in  1904,  offers  many : 
e.g.,  No.  35,  "  Inverary  Pier,"  "  Foul  biting  in  the  sky 
has  been  partially  burnished  out,  and  the  marks  of 
the  burnisher  converted  into  clouds,"  or  No.  44, 
"  Calm,"  "  Birds  are  introduced  to  hide  the  defective 
biting  of  the  aquatint  in  the  sky  and  on  the  water," 

1  A  counterproof  of  Diirer  (Bartsch  42)  in  the  Berlin  print  room  is  remark- 
ably clear.  Counterproofs  of  plates  by  Rembrandt  exist  in  the  Dresden  print 
room  and  elsewhere. 


2/o         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

or,  again,  No.  66,  "  ^Esacus  and  Hesperie,"  "  Turner 
decided  to  darken  the  face  of  Hesperie  by  covering  it 
with  hair,  thus  making  it  appear  as  if  the  head  were 
turned  away  from  ^Esacus."  The  changes  effected 
during  the  progress  of  an  engraving  have  sometimes 
been  considerable.  Thus,  in  this  same  "  Liber  "  by 
Turner,  No.  70  ("Interior  of  a  Church")  passed 
from  daylight  to  night  in  its  effect,  while  No.  23 
("The  Hindoo  Worshipper")  went  from  sunset  to 
dawn.  Rembrandt's  "  Three  Crosses  "  has  been  fre- 
quently cited  as  an  example  of  complete  change,  the 
last  state  being  quite  different  in  composition  and  ef- 
fect from  the  first.  In  Charles  Jacque's  "  Le  Repos  " 
(No.  181)  the  metamorphosis  of  the  cattle  from  a 
flock  of  sheep,  and  the  wanderings  of  the  shepherd 
over  the  scene  in  the  progressive  states  of  the  plate, 
illustrate  the  possibilities  of  changing  an  etching  by 
laying  fresh  ground  and  redrawing. 

There  are  many  ways  of  making  changes.  Work 
on  copper-plates  may  be  obliterated  by  scraper  and 
burnisher,  or  the  plate  may  be  beaten  up  from  the 
back  on  an  anvil  by  a  hammer.  A  portion  of  a  wood- 
block may  be  cut  out  and  a  plug  of  wood  inserted 
in  its  place  to  be  re-engraved.  A  piece  may  even  be 
added  to  an  engraved  block  or  plate,  and  the  engrav- 
ing then  enlarged. 

Occasionally  an  etcher  will  try  his  point  on  the 
margin  of  the  plate,  or  even  execute  some  slight 
sketch.  Chodowiecki  did  this;  Buhot  did  it  to  a  very 
elaborate  extent.  Such  marginal  sketches  are  called 
"  remarques."  And  from  this  habit  originated  the 
systematic  production  of  "  remarque  proofs,"  against 


PORTRAIT  OF  EDMOND  DE  GONCOURT. 

Etching  by  Felix  Bracquemond. 
Seventh    state. 


THE  MAKING  OF  PRINTS  271 

which  Whistler  directed  his  fine  scorn.  But  he  also 
declaimed  vigorously  against  the  presence  of  any 
margin  at  all.  A  margin  on  the  plate  is  not  a  neces- 
sity, but  a  proper  amount  of  margin  on  the  paper 
is  undoubtedly  a  protection  for  a  print. 

After  the  various  proofs  and  states  there  comes, 
finally,  the  "  finished "  or  "  publication  state,"  pre- 
ceded by  the  last  proof,  passed  as  ready  for  printing, 
bon  d  tirer  or  modele  pour  le  tirage  as  Jacque  used  to 
write  on  his  etchings.1 

In  modern  times,  the  whole  matter  of  proofs  and 
states  was  brought  into  a  regular  system,  impressive 
to  the  buyer  and  profitable  to  the  producer.  There 
may  be,  for  example,  successively,  trial  proofs,  fin- 
ished proof,  proof  with  remarque,  artist's  proof  be- 
fore all  letters  (or  inscription),  state  with  names  of 
artists  only,  with  inscription  in  open  letters,  with  let- 
ters filled  in  solid,  with  the  publisher's  address.  And 
the  states,  again,  may  be  on  India  or  Japan  paper  and 
on  plain  paper.2 

The  elaborate  formal  lettering  on  copper  engrav- 
ings, by  the  way,  was  generally  done  by  professional 
writing-engravers. 

Printing  calls  for  skill  and  training,  and  is  an 
especially  delicate  operation  in  the  case  of  etching. 
There  have  been  some  noted  printers  of  etchings  in 
the  nineteenth  century:  Ardail,  Salmon,  A.  Delatre 
and  F.  Goulding.  Delatre  printed  Whistler's  "  French 
Set,"  Goulding  and  Mortimer  Menpes,  himself  an 
etcher,  printed  other  etchings  for  Whistler,  and 
"  Whistler,  imp.,"  the  mark  of  his  own  printing,  ap- 
pears on  many  impressions.  Motte,  Hullmandel, 

l"Je  declare  le  tirage"  appears  on  some  of  Himely's  prints  in  the  Biblio- 
theque  Nationale.  The  Stuttgart  print  room  has  a  proof  of  a  wood-engraving 
by  Max  Weber,  after  Menzel.  on  which  the  latter  has  penciled:  " Zufneden" 
("I'm  satisfied"). 

'"See  C.  R.  Grundy's  "How  to  Distinguish  Proof  Impressions"  (Con- 
noisseur. October.  1910). 


272         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

Duchatel  and  Lemercier  were  known  as  printers  of 
lithographs. 

It  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  for  an  etcher  thus 
to  act  as  his  own  printer  and  get  exactly  the  result 
he  wants.  "  Drawn,  etched,  engraved  and  printed  by 
Francis  Seymour  Haden,  May  n,  1880,"  appears 
under  that  artist's  mezzotint,  "  Harlech  Castle."  Pen- 
nell,  Cameron,  L.  M.  Yale,  C.  F.  W.  Mielatz,  C.  H. 
White,  Vanderhoof  and  many  others  have  worked  the 
press  themselves.  The  professional  printer's  name 
in  former  days  often  appeared  in  etched,  engraved  or 
lithographed  letters  on  the  print.  To-day,  artists  pull- 
ing their  own  proofs  generally  sign  in  pencil. 

The  importance  of  a  good  impression  is  paramount. 
And  the  good  impression  is  the  result  of  the  printer's 
skill  and  the  state  of  the  plate. 

Early  states  are  generally  sought,  because  the  earlier 
impressions  from  a  plate  are  naturally  better  than 
the  later  ones,  which  show  signs  of  wear  in  the 
plate.  For  this  reason,  also,  early  states  are  sought 
by  collectors,  but  even  more,  perhaps,  because  they 
are  rare.  For  rarity  plays  a  very  important  part  in 
the  collector's  list  of  reasons.  In  reality,  mere  pri- 
ority of  state  does  not  mean  much  in  itself.  The 
very  fact  that  the  artist  thought  it  necessary  to  create 
a  later  state  by  making  corrections  or  additions  is 
significant.  Such  an  afterthought  may  raise  a  plate 
from  comparative  insignificance  to  telling  force,  or 
it  may  spoil  it  altogether.  Turner's  "Calm"  (No. 
44  of  the  "Liber")  is  usually  considered  much  finer 
in  the  third  state  than  in  the  first.  The  Techener  re- 
issue of  Jacquemart's  "  Gemmes  et  Joyaux  "  is  better 


THE  MAKING  OF  PRINTS  273 

than  the  first  state,  says  Wedmore.  In  the  second 
state  of  Whistler's  "  Kitchen "  a  large  amount  of 
added  dry-point  work  appears,  especially  on  the  walls 
leading  to  the  window,  increasing  the  richness  and 
harmony  to  a  remarkable  extent.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  luminous  quality  and  reflected  light  in  the  first 
state  of  Turner's  "  Crypt  of  Kirkstall  Abbey  "  have 
become  flat  and  dull  in  the  second.  Some  of  Meryon's 
plates  have  distracting  additions  in  the  later  states, 
strange  birds  and  beasts  and  human  beings,  emana- 
tions of  a  troubled  mind.  Nor  could  any  amount  of 
working  change  the  fumbling  effect  of  the  body  in 
Whistler's  "  Becquet  "  (the  'cello  player),  in  which  the 
interest  is  absolutely  concentrated  on  the  well-wrought 
head. 

There  may  be  various  reasons  for  preferring  an 
early  state.  Experience,  developed  taste  and  acquired 
knowledge  of  the  individual  case  will  determine  your 
choice. 

Ink  and  paper  play  their  part  in  the  final  effect. 
Ink  of  a  warm,  brownish  tone  was  often  used  for 
eighteenth-century  mezzotints,  for  which  it  was  par- 
ticularly suitable.  The  small  stipple  bust  portraits  of 
the  late  eighteenth  century  were  often  printed  in  red 
or  brown.  Experiments  with  inks  are  not  infre- 
quently met  with,  especially  in  the  works  of  French 
etchers.  Lalauze's  half-length  of  a  woman  from  a 
drawing  by  Rembrandt  has  been  printed  both  in  black 
and  in  a  warmish  brown.  Early  states  of  his  "  Curi- 
osite,"  after  Huet,  were  printed  in  reddish  brown 
with  the  ornamental  border  in  black.  The  step  from 
such  experiments  to  color-printing  is  a  natural  one. 


274         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

Artistic  individuality  is  shown  even  in  the  use  of 
paper,  the  quality  of  which  contributes  considerably 
to  the  artistic  result.  Meryon  sometimes  employed  a 
dull  green  kind  with  the  best  results,  and  an  added 
weirdness  of  effect.  Buhot,  who  once  spoke  of  the 
"  intimate  affinity  of  the  paper  in  grain,  tone  and  char- 
acter with  the  character  of  the  plate  to  be  printed," 
tried  all  sorts  of  papers,  thick  and  thin,  light  and 
dark,  grained  and  smooth,  white  and  toned,  even  Jap- 
anese packing  paper.  He  also  occasionally  employed 
sheets  treated  with  some  oily  substance  which  is  caus- 
ing them  now  to  crack  and  break  off  to  the  alarm  of 
the  owners  of  etchings  printed  upon  them.  Still  an- 
other stains  his  paper  with  walnut  juice.  Etchings 
are  frequently  printed  on  Japanese  paper,  occasionally 
on  vellum,  or  parchment,  to  gain  richness  of  effect. 
Satin  has  occasionally  been  used,  but  on  the  whole  it 
lacks  the  simple  nobility  of  paper.  Such  aesthetic 
aberrations  as  impressions  on  celluloid  are  fortunately 
rare.1 

Fenollosa  has  paid  an  eloquent  tribute  to  the  part 
played,  in  the  general  effect  of  Japanese  prints,  by 
the  paper  with  its  "  mesh  of  little  pulsing  vegetable 
tentacles." 

The  paper  may  also  help  to  fix  the  approximate 
date  of  an  undated  print,  or  serve  to  determine 
earliness  or  lateness  of  impression.  This  by  means 
of  the  water-mark,  the  design  which  you  see  in  linen 
paper  when  you  hold  it  up  to  the  light.  These  marks 
designate  a  factory,  and  often  simply  particular  qual- 
ity, for  certain  ones,  such  as  the  foolscap,  or  the 
Gothic  P,  were  used  at  the  same  period  by  different 

1  Late  impressions  of  Diirer   plates  on  satin   exist.    To  quote  the  late   Jaro 
Springer:    '  Satin  was  quite  usual  in  the  i?th  century." 


THE  MAKING  OF  PRINTS  275 

mills.  In  a  recent  catalogue  of  a  dealer's  exhibition  of 
old  German  line  engravings  there  appeared  again  and 
again,  after  the  titles  of  the  prints,  "  On  paper  bear- 
ing the  water-mark  of  a  snake,"  or  "  of  a  high 
crown,"  or  "  of  a  coat  of  arms  with  a  starfish,"  or 
"  of  a  Gothic  P,"  emphasizing  the  importance  of 
this  feature.  Vol.  III.  of  Sotheby's  "  Principia 
Typographica  "  (1858)  gives  a  list  of  water-marks, 
and  a  number  are  reproduced  also  in  B.  Hausmann's 
German  monograph  on  Durer's  engravings  and  draw- 
ings (1861).  The  latest  book  on  this  subject  is  C.  M. 
Briquet's  "  Les  filigranes  "  (Paris,  1908). 

Finally,  it  may  be  noted  here  that  the  difference 
in  the  shrinkage  of  paper  after  it  has  been  printed 
on  sometimes  causes  noteworthy  differences  in  size 
between  various  impressions  of  the  same  engraving. 

The  natural  desire  to  save  time  and  money  led  to 
economy  of  means  and  systematization  of  labor.  One 
form  which  effort  in  this  direction  took  at  an  early 
date  was  that  of  the  migration  of  wood  blocks  from 
one  printer's  shop  to  the  other,  notably  in  Italy  in 
the  late  fifteenth  and  early  sixteenth  centuries.  The 
same  design  thus  appears  in  books  published  in  cities 
far  distant  from  each  other,  so  that  it  is  not  always 
safe  to  draw  conclusions  as  to  the  origin  of  such  an 
engraving  from  the  date  and  place  of  publication  of 
the  book  in  which  it  happens  to  be  found. 

The  necessity  of  quickly  supplying  an  increasing 
demand  brought  about  the  establishment  of  wood  en- 
gravers' studios  or  workshops  early  in  the  sixteenth 
century.  There  was  a  uniformity  of  style  in  the 
work  coming  from  such  an  establishment,  which  was 


276         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

bound  to  make  itself  felt  even  above  the  widely  dif- 
ferent characteristics  of  the  original  designs.  Similar 
conditions  existed  into  the  second  half  of  the  nine- 
teenth century.  Noted  German  engravers  ran  xylo- 
graphic  establishments  in  which  one  man,  frequently 
an  apprentice,  engraved  all  the  flesh-tints,  another  all 
the  trees,  a  third  all  the  skies  and  so  on.  The  fin- 
ishing touches  were  given  by  the  chief  of  the  estab- 
lishment. It  was  a  sort  of  factory  system  of  division 
of  labor  by  specialization.  For  certain  periodical 
publications,  such  as  Punch,  production  was  hastened 
by  cutting  up  a  wood  block  into  squares,  each  of 
which  was  intrusted  to  a  different  engraver. 

A  similar  condition  of  affairs  controlled  engraving 
on  metal.  German  engravers  of  the  seventeenth  and 
eighteenth  centuries  produced  incredible  numbers  of 
portraits  by  an  organized  trade-system,  the  master 
executing  heads  and  hands,  while  clothes  and  acces- 
sories were  added  by  assistants  and  apprentices.  So 
it  was  also  with  the  supply  of  religious  pictures  from 
Amsterdam  in  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centu- 
ries, and  the  production  of  plates  was  often  a  family 
affair.  The  Victorian  engravers  in  England,  and 
some  of  the  best-known  American  steel  engravers, 
produced  plates  by  co-operative  effort,  apparently  in 
order  to  profit  from  proficiency  of  each  man  in  some 
specialty.  J.  A.  Rolph  and  R.  Hinshelwood  executed 
the  preliminary  etchings  for  many  of  James  Smillie's 
engravings,  and  the  figures  in  the  latter  were  some- 
times engraved  by  others.  In  the  case  of  the  large 
plate,  "  The  Capture  of  Major  Andre,"  after  Durand, 
this  is  explicitly  stated  in  the  legend :  "  Figures  engd 


THE  MAKING  OF  PRINTS  277 

by  Alfred  Jones.  Landscape  engd  by  Smillie  and 
Hinshelwood."  In  London,  in  the  thirties  and  forties, 
not  a  few  "  galleries  of  beauties,"  "  gems  of  engrav- 
ing "  and  similar  collections  of  line  engravings  were 
"  executed  under  the  superintendence  of "  Charles 
Heath  or  Finden. 

The  step  from  organized  and  specialized  co- 
operative production  to  the  business  of  publishing 
was  a  logical  one.  Particularly  in  the  records  of 
eighteenth-century  engraving  in  France  and  England 
do  we  encounter  the  names  of  many  engraver-pub- 
lishers. There  were  Odieuvre,  who  employed  J.  G. 
Wille  and  others  in  their  younger  days,  and,  as  Wille 
said,  "paid  very  little";  Le  Bas,  Basan  (who  wrote 
a  dictionary  of  engravers),  Mariette  (who  amassed 
a  considerable  collection  of  prints)  and  Boydell,  en- 
graver and  alderman  in  London,  projector  of  the 
famous  "  Shakespeare  Gallery."  Even  into  the  sec- 
ond half  of  the  nineteenth  century  certain  prolific 
American  makers  of  portraits  on  steel  were  their  own 
publishers. 

On  old  prints  this  publishing  activity  is  often 
indicated  by  the  word  excudit  or  direxit  placed 
after  the  name  of  a  well-known  engraver.  In  such 
cases,  the  name  of  the  actual  engraver  is  often  given 
as  well,  but  in  less  important  plates  it  is  frequently 
omitted. 

Sometimes  a  plate  has  been  executed  for  a  private 
individual,  not  for  publication  nor  for  sale.  Such  a 
one  is  designated  a  "  private  plate."  Collectors  of 
Americana  are  familiar  with  many  such,  executed 
especially  during  1860-1880. 


2-8          HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

Mention  of  the  word  excudit  recalls  certain  terms, 
and  abbreviations  of  the  same,  which  are  met  with 
again  and  again  on  old  prints.  I  give  a  list  of  these 
herewith,  with  their  definitions : 

Ad  vivum  indicates  that  a  portrait  was  done  "  from 
life,"  and  not  after  a  painting.  (Example:  Aug.  de 
lSt.  Aubin  al  vivum  delin.  et  sculp.) 

Aq.}  aquaf.,  aquafortis  denote  the  etcher. 

D.,  del.,  delin.,  delineavit  refer  to  the  draughtsman. 

Des.,  desig.  refer  to  the  designer. 

Direx.,  Direxit.  show  direction  or  superintendence 
of  pupil  by  master. 

Ex.,  exc.,  excu.,  excud.,  excudit,  excudebat  indicate 
the  publisher. 

F.,  fe.,  f,  -fee.,  fee*,  fecit,  fa.,  fac.,  fac*}  faciebat 
indicate  by  whom  the  engraving  was  "  made "  or 
executed. 

For  mis,  like  excudit,  describes  the  act  of  publication. 

Imp.  indicates  the  printer. 

Inc.,  inci.,  incid.,  incidit,  incidebat  refer  to  him  who 
"  incised  "  or  engraved  the  plate. 

Inv.,  invenit,  inventor  mark  the  "  inventor  "  or  de- 
signer of  the  picture.  (Examples:  C.  N.  Cochin 
fils  inv.,  J.  f.  Pasquier  inv.  et  sc.,  Bouchardon  inv. 
del) 

Lith.  de  does  not  mean  "  lithographed  by,"  but 
"  printed  by."  Lith.  de  C.  Motte,  Lith.  de  Lasteyrie, 
/.  lith.  de  Delpech  refer  to  lithographic  printing 
establishments. 

P.,  pictor,  pingebat,  pinx,  pinx*,  pinxit  show  who 
painted  the  picture  from  which  the  engraving  was 
made. 


THE  MAKING  OF  PRINTS  279 

'S.,  sc.,  scul.,  sculp.,  sculpsit,  sculpebat,  sculptor  ap- 
pear after  the  engraver's  name  and  indicate  his  work. 

One  recalls  the  lines  of  the  poet  Flatman,  with  ref- 
erence to  the  engraved  portraits  by  William  Faithorne : 

"  A  Faithorne  sculpsit  is  a  charm  can  save 
From  dull  oblivion  and  a  gaping  grave." 

A  chapter  might  be  written  on  signatures.  Many 
of  the  earlier  men  are  known  to  us  simply  by  their 
initials  or  a  pictorial  signature:  e.g.,  "  Master  E.  S.," 
"  Master  of  the  Die."  Abbreviated  signatures  are  not 
infrequent:  Raph.  Sad.  for  Raphael  Sadeler,  R.  d. 
Baud  for  Robert  de  Baudoux.  Initials  and  mono- 
grams are  frequent  in  older  work :  e.g.,  "  A.  D." 
(Diirer),  "  H.  S.  B."  (Beham),  "  H.  G."  (Goltzius). 

Punning  signatures  there  are,  too :  H.  S.  and  a  little 
shovel  stand  for  Hans  Schauffelein  (German  for  little 
shovel)  ;  Leech  signed  his  lithographs  with  an  apothe- 
cary's bottle  containing  a  leech.  And  there  were 
pseudonyms:  Corbutt  (Purcell),  Paul  Pry,  Short- 
shanks  and  others.  Whistler's  butterfly  is  the  most 
familiar  instance  of  a  pictorial  signature. 

The  frequent  use  of  initials  or  monograms  has 
called  forth  an  illuminative  literature  of  its  own,  the 
dictionaries  of  monograms  by  Brulliot,  Duplessis  and 
Bouchot,  and  Nagler  being  best  known. 

An  important  element  in  the  publication  of  a  plate 
is  the  number  of  good  impressions  which  it  is  possi- 
ble to  take  from  it.  A  copper  plate  only  yields  a 
comparatively  limited  number  of  prints  before  it  be- 
gins to  show  signs  of  wear  through  the  friction  of 
wiping  and  printing.  This  possible  number  may  be 


280         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

yet  more  reduced  by  extreme  fineness  in  the  engraved 
line.  It  is  said  that  Lucas  van  Leyden's  graver  stroke 
was  so  delicate  that  fine  impressions  of  his  plates  are 
comparatively  rare.  Formerly,  the  only  remedy  for 
a  worn  plate  was  to  "  retouch  "  or  re-work  it,  putting 
new  strength  into  the  weakened  forms.  Israel  Van 
Meckenen  was  wont  to  go  over  his  plates  as  soon  as 
he  found  signs  of  wear,  but  he  also  re-worked  plates 
by  others,  and  signed  them,  we  are  told.  H.  S.  Beham 
likewise  retouched  his  work  carefully,  covering  up  the 
old  lines  with  fresh  work;  sometimes  he  copied  the 
engraving  on  a  new  plate.  Unfortunately,  retouch- 
ing of  old  plates  was  frequently  the  work,  not  of  the 
original  artist,  but  of  another,  with  practically  al- 
ways inferior  results.  Slater  points  out  that  the  pub- 
lisher's name  is  sometimes  an  index  to  lateness  of 
impressions,  some  publishers,  whom  he  names,  having 
been  in  the  habit  of  buying  old  plates,  having  them 
touched  up  and  then  issuing  them  with  their  own 
names  added.  Mezzotints  were  especially  susceptible 
to  wear,  and  were  sometimes  re-worked  again  and 
again,  color  being  sometimes  applied  to  the  resultant 
impressions  to  mask  their  deficiencies.  The  demand 
for  the  "  Liber  Veritatis  "  prints  after  Claude  was 
considerable,  and  Boydell,  the  publisher,  had  the  en- 
graver Earlom  retouch  them  several  times.  Turner's 
"  Liber  Studiorum  "  plates  quickly  wore  out,  and  were 
retouched,  mostly  by  Turner  himself,  it  is  believed. 
"  And  the  consummate  skill  which  he  here  displayed,'* 
says  his  cataloguer  Rawlinson,  "  was  equaled  by  the 
consummate  ingenuity  with  which  he  concealed  the 
fact  of  the  retouches  from  his  purchasers." 


THE  MAKING  OF  PRINTS  281 

With  the  introduction  of  steel  in  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury came  possibilities  of  larger  editions.  And  the  pro- 
cess known  as  steel- facing,  which  consists  in  putting 
an  infinitesimally  thin  coating  of  steel  on  an  engraved 
or  etched  copper  plate,  by  means  of  electro-deposition, 
makes  the  plate  practically  indestructible.  Where 
formerly  it  yielded  only  a  very  small  number  of  good 
impressions  before  it  became  worn,  ten  thousand  im- 
pressions, it  is  said,  have  been  taken  from  a  steel- faced 
mezzotint  plate.  For  if  the  steel  shows  signs  of  wear, 
a  new  layer  can  be  deposited.  Whistler's  "  Thames 
Set "  etchings  were  originally  brought  out  by  Ellis 
and  Green;  they  were  then  steel- faced  and  passed  into 
the  hands  of  the  Fine  Arts  Society.  Subsequently 
they  were  acquired  by  a  well-known  dealer  of  New 
York  City,  who  had  the  steel- facing  removed  and  had 
some  impressions  struck  off,  after  which  the  plates 
were  canceled. 

This  canceling  of  the  plate  usually  consists  in  draw- 
ing several  heavy  lines  with  the  etching  needle  or 
graver  across  the  face  of  it.  The  object  is,  of  course, 
to  prevent  improper  use  by  taking  impressions  from 
the  worn  plate.  Impressions  from  numerous  canceled 
plates  by  Whistler,  Mary  Cassatt,  Jacque  and  others 
exist.  Sometimes,  as  a  sort  of  guarantee  of  good 
faith,  a  set  of  prints  by  an  artist  has  been  issued 
with  a  statement  such  as  that  accompanying  the 
Iconophile  Society's  publications :  "  One  hundred  and 
three  impressions  taken  and  plate  destroyed  "  or  "  and 
stone  canceled."  And  to  furnish  proof  positive,  im- 
pressions taken  from  the  canceled  plates  may  even 
go  with  a  published  series. 


282 


HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 


Destruction  of  a  plate  has  been  known  to  be  in- 
voluntary in  the  case  of  Bervic,  whom  the  revolution- 
ary power  in  France  forced  to  crack  the  plate  of  his 
portrait  of  Louis  XVI.  across  the  middle.  The  plate 
was  repaired,  however,  and  printed  from  again. 


AN  IMPRESSION  FROM  THE  CANCELED  PLATE  OF  WHISTLER'S 
ETCHING  "  MILLBANK." 

It  has  happened  in  some  cases  that  plates  or  blocks 
were  lost  to  sight  and  only  came  to  light  much  later. 

Burgkmaier's  large  woodcut,  "  The  Triumph  of 
Maximilian,"  turned  up  in  1796,  and  was  then  first 
published  as  a  complete  set.  Goya's  "  Miseries  of 
War  "  were  first  issued  in  complete  form  in  1863. 

Late  impressions,  we  have  seen,  are  not  desirable. 
When  they  are  taken  very  much  later — for  instance, 


THE  MAKING  OF  PRINTS  283 

if  a  portrait  plate  engraved  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury has  been  printed  from  fifty  or  a  hundred  years 
later — they  are  technically  referred  to  as  "  restrikes." 
In  such  late  prints  from  old  plates  the  charm  and 
strength  of  the  work  in  its  original  state  is  pretty  sure 
to  be  all  gone.  Various  plates  by  Rembrandt  were 
preserved  and  printed  from  in  comparatively  recent 
times,  sometimes  re-worked,  new  "  states "  being 
thereby  manufactured.  His  famous  "  Christ  Healing 
the  Sick  "  passed  into  the  hands  of  William  Baillie, 
who  touched  it  up  to  make  it  more  printable  and 
finally  cut  it  into  four  pieces,  from  which  impressions 
were  taken.  Piranesi's  large  and  fine  plates  of  archi- 
tectural monuments  still  exist  and  are  printed  from 
"  with  sad  results,"  as  Russell  Sturgis  says.  Certain 
unfinished  plates  in  Turner's  "  Liber  Studiorum " 
(Nos.  73,  74,  75,  81,  82)  were  sold  and  impressions 
taken.  Worn-out  impressions  of  "  Fulham,"  says 
Drake  in  his  catalogue  of  Haden's  etchings,  were  sold 
in  Paris  without  the  artist's  sanction. 

The  use  of  old  plates  has  led  to  fraudulent  practices. 
The  activity  of  the  forger  is  wide  and  varied,  in  fact, 
and  is  applied  to  plates  as  well  as  to  defective  or  weak 
prints,  for  either  can  be  "  doctored."  "  Restrikes  " 
are  printed  on  old  paper,  or  the  paper  is  dipped  into 
a  solution  of  tobacco  juice  or  other  liquid  to  give  it 
the  appearance  of  age.  Old  handwriting  and  ink  are 
simulated  in  lying  dates  written  on  the  margin.  Weak 
impressions  are  worked  up  with  pen  and  ink,  and  miss- 
ing portions  similarly  supplied.  Changes  may  be  made 
by  manipulation  in  printing.  Rare  impressions  exist 
of  Rembrandt's  portrait  of  himself  and  his  wife  (No. 


284         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

19  in  Bartsch's  catalogue),  in  which  the  latter  is  re- 
placed by  the  artist's  portrait  of  his  mother  (Bartsch 
349),  a  quite  different  plate.  The  place  had  been 
covered  with  paper,  so  as  not  to  print,  and  an  im- 
pression of  plate  No.  349  was  then  taken  on  the  vacant 
place.  False  proofs  are  made  in  various  ways.  The 
inscription  on  the  plate  may  be  filled  with  a  composi- 
tion so  as  not  to  print.  Or  a  lettered  impression  is 
turned  into  a  proof  by  trimming  off  the  margin,  split- 
ting the  paper  and  adding  false  margin  and  plate- 
mark.  Or  a  slip  of  paper  is  laid  over  the  inscription 
on  the  plate,  when  printing.1  This  latter  method, 
it  appears,  does  not  mean  that  the  intention  was 
fraudulent  and  the  impression  poor  in  every  such  case. 
Whitman  points  out,  for  example,  that  in  the  case 
of  Charles  Turner,  the  mezzotinter,  such  "  masked 
proofs  "  are  nearly  all  fine  impressions.  Fraudulent 
proofs  are  furnished  with  remarques,  as  in  the 
case  of  Chodowiecki;  in  fact,  Wessely  asserted  that 
there  was  at  one  time  in  Berlin  a  regular  factory  for 
forged  states  of  the  plates  of  that  artist  and  of 
Rembrandt. 

Collectors'  marks,  written  or  stamped,  and  water- 
marks in  the  paper,  have  likewise  been  objects  of  the 
forger's  zeal. 

Color-prints  have  long  proved  a  profitable  field  for 
the  "  manipulator."  "  Wholesale  forgery  of  English 
color-prints  in  Holland  "  is  said  to  have  existed  in 
1819,  and  to-day  "  color  fakes  "  seem  to  be  plentiful. 

"  Ways  that  are  dark  and  tricks  that  are  vain  "  have 
not  been  entirely  unknown  to  the  maker  of  prints ! 

Various  authors,  among  whom  Tuer  in  his  work 

1  Early  Van  Dyck  proofs,  for  example,  were  thus  produced,  as  A.  M.  Hind 
tells  us. 


THE  MAKING  OF  PRINTS  285 

on  Bartolozzi  and  J.  H.  Slater,  in  "  Engravings  and 
Their  Value,"  give  interesting  information  in  regard 
to  this  matter  of  tampering  with  old  plates  and  prints. 
Tuer  even  has  a  chapter  on  "  Modern  Reprints  of 
Worn-out  Plates  and  How  to  Distinguish,"  this  re- 
ferring to  stipple  engravings. 

The  not  entirely  unrelated  subject  of  fictitious  por- 
traits and  similar  apocryphal  productions  is  touched 
on  in  Chapter  XIV. 

Copies  will  rarely  deceive  the  expert,  but  they  may 
prove  traps  for  the  novice,  who  should  therefore  see 
to  it  that  he  is  properly  advisd.  Generally,  the  copies 
made  of  engravings  or  etchings  by  artists  of  former 
days  are  known  and  are  described  in  the  printed  cata- 
logues of  their  works.  It  must  not  be  supposed  that 
such  copies  were  all  made  with  intent  to  deceive. 
Flameng's  marvelously  spirited  and  truthful  copies  of 
Rembrandt's  etchings  were  executed  as  illustrations 
for  a  book  on  that  artist.  Rembrandt's  genius  caused 
a  number  of  etchers  to  either  copy  his  work  outright 
or  imitate  his  style.  I  have  seen  a  "  hitherto  un- 
known Rembrandt "  which  proved  to  be  simply  by 
Norblin,  who  had  in  truth  signed  Rembrandt's  name 
to  the  etching,  but  whose  work  was  neither  a  copy  nor 
slavish  enough  in  imitation  to  convey  doubt.  The 
owner  was  simply  over-optimistic,  as  was  the  honest 
old  soul  who  possessed  an  exceptionally  fine  Diirer 
print  which  had  been  in  his  scrap-book  for  thirty 
years, — so  he  said,  and  he  believed  it,  too.  But  his 
memory  played  him  false,  for  the  picture  was  a  repro- 
duction (photomechanical,  if  I  remember  right)  of 
a  more  recent  date  than  that. 


286         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

But  all  cases  are  not  so  easily  cleared  up.  A  num- 
ber of  years  ago  a  Western  collector  paid  $1,500  for 
an  impression  of  Rembrandt's  famous  etching  "  The 
Three  Trees,"  sold  to  him  in  perfect  good  faith  by 
a  bookseller.  It  turned  out  to  be  a  copy  by  James 
Bretherton,  marvelously  near  to  being  identical  with 
the  original,  line  for  line.  It  is  betrayed  only  by  the 
slightest  of  signs,  a  certain  timidity  of  handling  in 
the  upper  right-hand  corner,  where  the  long  boundary 
line  under  the  clouds  is  interrupted  near  the  margin, 
and  where  the  four  lines  coming  to  two  points  do 
not  come  as  close  to  the  margin  as  in  the  original. 
At  the  sale  of  the  Westerner's  collection  this  same 
print  brought  $4,  and  it  is  in  private  hands  in  New, 
York  to-day.  Middleton's  catalogue  of  Rembrandt's 
etchings  has  illustrations  showing  points  of  difference 
in  detail  between  certain  etchings  and  copies  of  the 
same. 

Copying  of  the  work  of  successful  artists  began 
at  an  early  date  and  continues.  Marc  Antonio 
Raimondi  copied  a  considerable  number  of  Durer's 
plates,  particularly  the  woodcuts  of  the  "Little 
Passion,"  which  he  reproduced  on  copper.  Durer 
complained  bitterly  of  the  thefts  of  his  compositions. 
Gosselin,  of  Paris,  has  shown  versatility  in  clever 
copies  of  etchings  by  Meryon,  some  of  them  signed 
E.  G.,  and  of  the  portrait  of  Franklin,  in  color,  by 
Alix  after  Van  Loo. 

An  interesting  study  is  that  of  altered  plates.  The 
substituting  of  one  head  for  another  in  a  plate  may 
have  taken  place  for  various  reasons.  There  may 
have  been  a  demand  for  a  portrait  of  a  momentary 


THE  MAKING  OF  PRINTS  287 

celebrity  which  was  supplied  by  taking  the  plate  of 
an  existing  portrait  of  someone  else,  erasing  the 
head  and  substituting  the  desired  one.  Or  some 
change  in  the  appearance  of  a  public  man  (growth 
of  a  beard,  marks  of  age)  may  have  necessitated 
an  erasure  and  re-engraving  of  the  head  on  an 
older  portrait  of  the  same  man.  An  equestrian 
portrait  engraved  by  Pierre  Lombart,  a  made-up  com- 
position after  Vandyck,  reflects  the  changes  of  politi- 
cal opinion  in  England  in  the  days  of  the  Revolution 
and  the  Commonwealth.  In  the  third  state  of  this 
plate  the  personage  depicted  has  the  head  of  Crom- 
well, in  the  fourth  the  head  of  Charles  I.  has  been 
substituted,  in  the  fifth,  another,  older  head  of  Crom- 
well has  taken  the  place  of  that  of  Charles  I.  The 
various  states  of  this  portrait  have  been  reproduced 
in  Alfred  Whitman's  "  Print  Collector's  Handbook  " 
and  elsewhere.  A.  H.  Ritchie's  full-length  portrait 
of  Lincoln  was  originally  one  of  Calhoun,  the  head 
having  been  changed,  and  the  title  "  Jefferson's 
Works,"  on  some  volumes  on  a  table,  erased.  Such 
cases  might  easily  be  multiplied. 

The  case  of  the  palimpsest,  that  is  the  manuscript 
written  on  parchment  from  which  former  writing  has 
been  erased,  has  its  counterpart  in  engraving.  The 
"  Heilige  Maria  von  Einsiedeln,"  by  the  "  Master  E. 
S.  of  1466,"  was  cleaned  off  the  plate  and  a  young 
warrior  engraved  over  it  by  another.1  Reproductions 
of  both  are  given  in  the  publications  of  the  Interna- 
tional Chalcographical  Society  for  1887.  Occasion- 
ally an  etching  will  be  seen  which  shows  faint  traces 
of  former  work  on  the  plate,  as  in  Jacque's  "  Effet  de 

1  There  is  an  impression  of  this  in  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale,  Paris.  G.  S. 
Layard  has  two  chapters  on  "  Palimpsest  plates  in  his  book  on  "  Suppressed 
plates  "  ( London.  1907) . 


288          HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

Lumiere"    (No.   324  in  Guiffrey's  catalogue  of  his 
etchings). 

I  know  well  that  this  chapter  consists  of  somewhat 
fragmentary  information.  But  a  few  instances  serve 
the  purpose  as  well  as  a  whole  bookful.  That  pur- 
pose is  the  fixing  of  certain  general  facts  as  to  the 
manner  in  which  prints  are  made,  legitimately  and 
illegitimately.  To  try  to  describe  all  possible  con- 
tingencies would  be  like  expecting  a  student  to  go 
through  a  text-book  at  the  first  lesson  with  like  result. 
The  guidepost  is  a  comfort,  and  as  such  this  chapter 
may  perhaps  serve  to  strengthen  the  reader's  judicious 
self-confidence  and  urge  him  to  continue  personal 
research  in  whatever  specialty  particularly  appeals  to 
him.  God  helps  him  who  helps  himself. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
THE  CARE  AND  ARRANGEMENT  OF  PRINTS 

,  THE  print  is  a  more  or  less  delicate  object.  The 
law — written  or  unwritten — of  a  public  print-room 
includes  paragraphs  restricting  handling,  which  are 
equally  applicable  in  private  collections.  The  surface^ 
of  a  print  should  not  be  touched,  for  the  action  may  I 
cause  damage  which  it  is  impossible  or  difficult  toy 
make  good  even  partially.  It  is  a  common  offense, 
when  looking  over  a  lot  of  prints,  to  drag  one  across 
the  face  of  the  one  below  it,  scraping  the  hard  corner 
of  a  cardboard  mount  over  the  delicate  bloom  of  a 
mezzotint,  for  instance.  An  equally  bad  practice  is  the 
quite  general  one  of  holding  a  print  with  one  hand, 
between  forefinger  and  thumb,  the  latter  usually 
leaving  its  indenting  mark.  "  As  a  collector,"  said 
Beraldi,  speaking  of  Meissonier's  painting  "  L' Ama- 
teur d'Estampes  "  (The  Print  Lover),  "I  have  al- 
ways felt  deep  pain  in  seeing  the  manner  in  which 
Meissonier's  '  Amateur '  keeps  his  prints.  What  dis- 
order! What  little  care!  ...  I  see  indelible  breaks 
and  folds,  thumb-marks.  Oh,  the  poor  proofs ! " 
Beraldi  might  have  found  even  more  striking  pictorial 
illustrations  of  "  how  not  to  do  it."  For  instance, 
Reynolds's  "  Portrait  of  Two  Gentlemen,"  grasping  a 
print  at  opposite  ends  and  pulling  it  taut,  or  Kneller's 

289 


290         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

portrait  of  John  Smith,  the  mezzotinter,  holding  a 
print  rolled  up. 

As  to  the  repairing  and  cleaning  of  prints,  unless 
one  has  made  thorough  and  numerous  experiments,  it 
is  best  to  leave  all  but  the  simplest  jobs  to  those  that 
make  a  business  of  it.  Bonnardot,  in  his  "  Essai  sur 
1'Art  de  restaurer  les  Estampes  et  les  Livres  "  (2d 
edition,  1858)  gives  many  recipes,  but  he  and  other 
authors  recommend  great  caution  in  the  use  of  strong 
chemicals,  and  lay  most  stress  on  simple  remedies, 
such  as  are  given  by  Slater  in  Chapter  VI.  of  his 
"  Engravings  and  Their  Value."  For  slight  clean- 
ing, or  for  straightening  out  a  creased  or  crumpled 
print,  however,  a  cold-water  bath  can  be  applied  with- 
out danger  in  most  cases.  The  print  is  laid  face 
downward  in  water  in  a  flat  dish  large  enough  to 
permit  the  print  to  float  without  touching  the  edges 
of  the  dish.  It  is  allowed  to  soak  thoroughly,  for 
from  fifteen  minutes  to  an  hour  or  two,  according  to 
the  needs  of  the  case  and  the  texture  of  the  paper. 
Then  it  is  lifted  by  grasping  it  carefully  at  the  two 
corners  of  one  end  and  the  water  is  allowed  to  run 
off.  After  this  the  print  is  dropped  on  a  clean  sheet 
of  white  blotting  paper  and  another  similar  sheet  is 
placed  over  it.  Moderate  pressure  is  exerted,  and 
the  operation  is  repeated  with  other  blotters,  if 
necessary,  until  superfluous  moisture  is  absorbed. 
Then  the  print  is  placed  between  two  clean  blotters 
and  left  under  pressure  (some  heavy  books  of  the 
right  size  will  do  well)  over  night. 

Note  that  fresh  air  is  necessary  to  keep  a  print  in 
healthy  condition. 


CARE  OF  PRINTS  291 

It  is  well  to  protect  prints  by  mounting  them  on 
sheets  of  cardboard.  There  have  been  various  ways 
of  doing  this :  the  print  may  be  "  laid  down  " — that 
is,  pasted  entirely  on  the  mount — or  it  may  be  pasted 
all  along  the  edges  of  the  four  sides,  or  tipped  at 
the  four  corners.  But  the  best  way  is  to  use  a  hinge 
of  light  but  tough  Japan  paper,  one  side  of  the  hinge 
being  pasted  to  the  back  of  the  upper  or  left-hand 
edge  of  the  print  and  the  other  to  the  mount.  In 
this  manner  the  print  is  attached  to  the  mount  by  one 
side  only,  and  can  be  raised  (like  an  upward  open- 
ing trap-door)  for  the  purpose  of  examining  the 
back  for  water-marks,  marks  of  former  owners,  notes, 
or  for  any  other  purpose.  The  hinge  may  extend  along 
the  entire  side  of  the  print,  or  two  hinges  may  be 
used,  some  distance  apart,  and  each  about  an  inch 
long.  The  late  Friedrich  Lippmann  of  Berlin  had  the 
prints  in  his  care  hinged  on  two  adjoining  sides,  so 
that  they  could  not  be  raised.  Over  the  print  thus 
mounted  there  is  placed  a  second  sheet  of  cardboard 
of  the  same  size  as  the  mount.  (Familiar  sizes  are 
14  x  18,  22x28,  28x40.)  Into  this  upper  board  or 
mat  an  opening  is  cut  somewhat  larger  than  the 
printed  portion  of  the  print.  As  the  latter  thus  lies 
at  the  bottom  of  this  opening,  it  is  obviously  protected 
in  a  measure.  Furthermore,  the  uncut  portion  of  the 
mat  rests  upon  the  margin  of  the  print,  and  thus  holds 
down  the  latter  in  place.  Sometimes  mat  and  mount 
are  fastened  together  on  all  four  sides,  forming  what 
is  known  as  a  "  sunk  mount."  Usually,  however, 
they  are  simply  joined  along  one  side  by  a  strip  of 
adhesive  tape,  tracing  linen  or  the  like,  which  forms 


292          HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

a  hinge  on  which  they  can  be  opened  like  the  leaves 
of  a  book. 

For  examination  by  artificial  light,  an  adjustable 
lamp  sliding  on  a  perpendicular  movable  rod  with  a 
base,  and  provided  with  a  reflector,  is  used. 

Prints  are  usually  kept  in  portfolios  or  solander 
cases,  the  latter  being  boxes  with  the  top  hinged  to 
swing  up  like  the  cover  of  a  book,  and  the  fore-edge 
hinged  to  swing  down,  so  that  the  prints  can  be  drawn 
out  at  the  side  or  lifted  out  at  the  top.  In  various 
public  collections,  portfolios  standing  upright  are  used 
on  account  of  economy  of  space  and  greater  accessi- 
bility. I  know  of  one  collector  who  devotes  a  whole 
room  to  his  prints,  which  he  keeps  unmounted,  stand- 
ing on  end  in  large  wooden  cases,  such  as  are  seen  in 
print-dealers'  shops,  with  the  front  so  adjusted  that 
it  can  be  made  to  drop  outward.  Large  prints  may 
be  placed  in  cases  of  drawers,  which  latter,  when 
pulled  out  a  certain  distance,  tilt  downward  at  an 
angle  convenient  both  for  looking  at  the  prints 
(which  are  turned  over  almost  like  the  leaves  of  a 
book)  and  for  removing  any  that  it  may  be  desired  to 
take  out. 

Instructions  as  to  arrangement  (that  is,  classifica- 
tion) are  very  apt  to  be  aimed  at  the  big  collector,  not 
at  the  small  one,  whose  opportunities  and  finances  ena- 
ble him  to  acquire  but  a  few  plates  by  one  man.  If 
you  have  a  small  collection,  do  not  trouble  your  head 
much  about  arrangement.  If  you  have  been  able  to 
get  a  fairly  complete  representation  of  some  individual 
artist,  you  will  probably  arrange  the  prints  chrono- 
logically (a  very  common  method,  as  it  best  illustrates 


CARE  OF  PRINTS  293 

the  artist's  development)  or  by  subjects,  as  has  been 
done  by  some  cataloguers  of  Rembrandt's  etchings. 
By  that  time  your  study  of  the  artist  and  of  the  lit- 
erature dealing  with  him  will  have  put  you  in  a  posi- 
tion to  arrive  at  your  own  conclusion  as  to  the  best 
course  in  that  particular  case.  Public  collections  may 
have  an  arrangement  according  to  the  process  or 
medium  (i.e.,  line  engraving,  etching,  lithography, 
wood  engraving),  or  by  schools  of  engraving  (or  na- 
tionality), or  by  individual  artists,  or  by  a  combina- 
tion of  two  or  all  three  of  these  methods. 

Useful  information  regarding  the  care  of  prints 
is  given  in  W.  H.  Wiltshire's  "  Introduction  to  the 
Study  and  Collection  of  Ancient  Prints"  (1874),  J. 
Maberly's  "  Print  Collector,  Edited  by  Robert  Hoe  " 
(1880),  Tuer's  "  Bartolozzi,"  Davenport's  volume  on 
mezzotints,  J.  E.  Wessely's  "  Anleitung  zur  Kenntniss 
und  zum  Sammeln  der  Werke  des  Kunstdrucks " 
(1876)  and  Alfred  Whitman's  "Print  Collector's 
Handbook  "  (1901). 

But  the  general  hints  given  in  the  present  chapter 
will  probably  be  found  to  cover  questions  which  will 
ordinarily  occur. 


CHAPTER  XIV 
THE  SUBJECT-INTEREST 

WRITERS  on  prints  usually  view  them  from  the 
aesthetic  standpoint,  and  overlook  the  utilitarian.  Or, 
if  this  last  word  seems  harsh,  let  us  say — perhaps  more 
correctly,  too — that  the  subject-interest  in  the  print 
is  not  always  accentuated  as  it  might  be.  The  artistic 
interest  is  paramount.  The  finest  examples  of  engrav- 
ing, of  etching,  of  lithography  are  collected  as  such 
by  private  individuals  and  in  public  print-rooms.  But 
the  print  has  also  a  strong  subject  interest.  And 

.there  is  this  further  advantage  that  the  print,  not 
being  a  unique  production  like  the  painting  or  statue, 

\  can  have  a  greater  circulation  and  reach  a  larger  pub- 
lic. It  emphasizes  the  fact  that  all  art  works  form 
material  for  social  history.  They  serve  to  illustrate 
the  history  of  mankind  in  its  different  phases  and 
various  surroundings.  Thus,  Muther  says  (in  his 
"History  of  Painting"),  speaking  of  the  Florentine 
painters :  "  In  these  works  .  .  .  the  whole  epoch  with 
its  people,  costumes,  arms  and  utensils,  dwelling 
rooms  and  buildings,  lives  on  as  in  a  great  picture- 
book  of  the  history  of  civilization." 

This  subject-interest  is  found  more  or  less  in  all 
prints.  It  exists,  even  though  in  the  slightest  form 
and  incidentally,  in  the  finest  products  of  art,  which 

294 


THE  SUBJECT-INTEREST  295 

may  at  first  sight  appear  to  have  none  but  an  artistic 
appeal.  And  it  is  of  the  first  importance  in  many 
prints  of  which  the  artistic  value  is  less.  The  mani- 
fold activity  of  mankind,  which  makes  up  what  we 
call  social  history,  is  mirrored  in  the  print.  The  indi- 
vidual is  illustrated  in  portraits,  national  characteris- 
tics in  pictures  of  costume  and  customs,  events  in  na- 
tional and  international  life  are  dealt  with  in  historical 
pictures,  the  interest  in  locality  is  served  in  views. 
As  has  been  said,  even  prints  treasured  and  admired 
primarily  for  their  art  interest  still  have  this  secondary 
value  to  a  greater  or  lesser  degree.  Meryon's  weird 
etchings  have  perpetuated  a  Paris  that  has  gone, 
swept  away  by  the  leveling  hand  of  Baron 
Haussmann;  Whistler  held  London's  water-front 
in  "  Black  Lion  Wharf "  and  others  of  the 
"  Thames  Series " ;  Joseph  Pennell  presents  the 
architectural  aspect  of  Spain,  Holland  and  New 
York;  Marcelin  Desboutin  has  set  down  the  fea- 
tures of  noted  literary  and  artistic  contemporaries 
among  his  compatriots;  Rochebrune  and  Brunet- 
Debaines  have  pictured  the  architectural  beauties 
of  France;  Jacquemart's  etching  needle  was  em- 
ployed in  exquisite  delineations  of  book-bindings, 
glassware  and  jewelry.  Charlet  and  Raffet  give  us 
pictorial  commentaries  on  the  Napoleonic  legend  in 
their  spirited  lithographs;  Moreau  le  jeune,  while 
illustrating  Rousseau,  left  invaluable  records  of 
French  costume  of  the  eighteenth  century;  Menzel  has 
noted  the  uniforms  of  the  soldiers  of  Frederick  the 
Great  to  the  minutest  details  of  buttons  and  trim- 
mings; the  intensely  summary  and  decorative  Jap- 


296         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

anese  chromo-xylograph  brings  before  us,  with  many 
delightful  touches,  the  life  in  the  land  of  the  holy 
mountain,  Fujiyama.  When  artists  such  as  Diirer, 
Schongauer,  Goltzius  or  Lucas  van  Leyden  applied 
their  technical  power  and  conscientious  study  of  their 
surroundings  to  the  delineation  of  Biblical  scenes,  they 
produced  a  most  interesting  view  of  types,  costumes 
and  customs  of  their  age.  One  may  emphasize  this 
point  by  instancing  individual  prints  such  as  Diirer's 
"  Prodigal  Son  "  (with  its  picture  of  a  barnyard  of 
the  artist's  time)  or  his  delightful  "  Jerome  in  His 
Study"  (full  of  the  detail  of  an  old  German  in- 
terior), or  van  Meckenen's  "  St.  Matthew  "  (an  amus- 
ingly quaint  personage)  ;  but  they  are  simply  a  few 
among  many.  Or  we  find  the  artist  frankly  repro- 
ducing the  life  about  him  without  placing  his  types 
before  a  historical  or  legendary  or  Biblical  back- 
ground. The  Dutch  country  scenes  of  Van  Ostade, 
De  Bry's  "Village  Festival,"  Dusart's  "Country 
Fair,"  Callot's  "  Miseries  and  Misfortunes  of  War  " 
fairly  pulsate  with  that  interest  which  enlists  our  sym- 
pathies because  it  is  human  and  is  presented  with 
sympathetic  understanding.  It  is  this  interest  which 
accounts  for  the  popularity  of  genre  scenes  by  such 
modern  painters  as  Knaus,  Vautier,  Defregger,  the 
archseologizing  canvases  of  Alma  Tadema  and 
Gerome,  the  detailed  studies  of  Meissonier — whose 
work  has  been  much  reproduced  by  talented  etchers, — 
the  military  records  of  De  Neuville  and  of  Detaille, 
who  never  characterized  German  troopers  more  truth- 
fully than  in  some  of  his  lithographs.  Intimate  char- 
acter studies  are  brought  before  us  in  the  form  of 


THE  SUBJECT-INTEREST  297 

portraits  by  masters  such  as  Nanteuil,  Masson, 
Edelinck,  Drevet  or  Aldegrever.  The  very  artistic 
excellence  of  such  work  strengthens  its  interest  and 
value  from  the  present  point  of  view. 

Famous  paintings  are  brought  before  a  larger  pub- 
lic through  sympathetic  translations  into  black-and- 
white  by  Chauvel,  Unger,  Waltner,  Feckert,  Flameng. 
Raj  on  and  others.  The  Wagner  enthusiast  can  find 
artistic  interpretations  of  .  the  master's  music  by 
Fantin-Latour  and  Egusquiza.  Nor  should  the  cari- 
caturists be  forgotten.  Gillray,  Cruikshank,  Daumier, 
Gavarni,  Nast  and  so  many  others  have  commented 
upon  the  foibles  of  their  fellow-beings  and  flayed 
wrongdoers.  In  caricatures  the  life  of  a  people  is 
mirrored  with  an  insistence  on  its  salient  points  which 
brings  out  its  weakness  and  its  strength.  Changes 
and  vagaries  in  costume  and  customs,  colloquialisms, 
fads,  amusements,  the  characteristics  of  classes,  types 
or  professions,  all  that  makes  up  the  life  of  the  pass- 
ing day,  are  illustrated  and  emphasized  by  the  point 
of  the  joke  or  the  grotesque  distortion  of  the  picture. 
The  possibilities  of  usefulness  as  material  for  history, 
inherent  in  the  caricature,  are  those  of  the  chronicle 
of  current  events  and  extend  far  beyond  its  original 
purpose.  Thomas  Wright,  John  Ashton,  Jullien,  John 
Grand-Carteret  have  shown  this  in  their  richly  illus- 
trated books. 

So,  as  we  review  the  many  names  of  artists  who 
have  worked  in  etching,  engraving  or  the  other 
processes  by  which  prints  are  produced,  or  whose 
works  have  been  reproduced  by  those  processes,  we 
find  that  each  in  his  day  and  special  field  has  added 


298          HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

his  share  to  the  material  for  the  study  of  that  ever- 
interesting  subject — humanity. 

This  material  must  be  used  with  critical  discrimina- 
tion. Uncritical  dependence  on  the  print  to  illustrate 
a  historical  figure  or  occurrence  is  as  wrong  as  an 
implicit  trust  in  a  statement,  because  it  happens  to  be 
printed.  Yet  illustrations  are  published  in  books  with 
no  expression  of  doubt  as  to  the  authenticity  of  the 
originals  on  which  they  are  based,  apparently  for  the 
simple  reason  that  the  original  was  an  "  old  print," 
which  term  is  so  loosely  applied  that  it  is  made  to 
cover  equally  an  engraving  two  hundred  years  old  and 
one  that  has  not  seen  half  a  century. 

Henry  Hudson  looks  out  gravely  on  the  world, 
from  his  big  ruff,  on  many  a  printed  page,  but  where 
is  the  portrait  painted  during  his  life  on  which  all 
these  pictures  are  based?  As  Artemus  Ward  said, 
"  Echo  answers."  The  contemporary  witness  appeals 
to  us  with  the  force  of  a  court  of  last  resort.  Yet 
some  years  ago  a  mural  painter  pointed  out  to  me 
glaring  errors  in  the  four  famous  copper-plate  en- 
gravings of  the  engagements  at  Concord  and  Lexing- 
ton, executed  by  Amos  Doolittle,  who  lived  at  the 
time,  and  visited  the  places  to  study  them  before  exe- 
cuting his  plates.  In  the  collection  of  the  late  Paul 
Leicester  Ford  and  his  brother  Worthington  C,  there 
was  a  little  group  of  five  woodcut  portraits,  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  all  in  profile,  all  with  cocked  hats. 
Those  of  Samuel  Adams,  Bradley  and  Henry  Lee 
were  impressions  from  the  same  block,  with  different 
names  printed  underneath.  Those  of  Columbus  (  !) 
and  Richard  Howel  were  other  engravings,  apparently 


THE  SUBJECT-INTEREST  299 

from  the  same  original.  In  a  spirit  of  grave  pleas- 
antry they  had  been  gathered  in  one  frame,  and  they 
made  one  think  of  Rip  Van  Winkle's  return  after 
his  long  sleep,  when  he  found  the  same  figure  on  the 
tavern  sign,  but  the  name  "  George  III."  replaced  by 
"  George  Washington."  Among  the  plates  engraved  by 
Paul  Revere  (of  the  famous  ride)  there  is  a  portrait 
of  Benjamin  Church,  which  was  simply  changed  from 
one  of  the  poet  Churchill,  I  am  told.  And  an  en- 
graving of  the  Wilson  portrait  of  Franklin  repeatedly 
did  service  for  Roger  Williams,  despite  the  anachro- 
nism of  costume  and  wig. 

The  older  a  print  is,  the  more  reverential  awe  is  it 
apt  to  inspire.  Yet  the  "  fake  "  existed  even  in  the 
early  days  of  wood  engraving.  In  the  famous 
Nuremberg  Chronicle,  published  in  1493,  the  same  cut 
does  duty  on  various  pages  for  a  view  of  quite  dif- 
ferent cities,  and  among  the  numerous  portraits  cer- 
tain ones  bob  up  repeatedly,  each  time  with  a  different 
name  tagged  on.  As  Woodberry  and  Lippmann  very 
euphemistically  express  it,  these  views  were  "  typical  " 
rather  than  individual,  they  resembled  "  conventional 
symbols."  Nor  is  the  "  fake  "  unknown  in  half-tone 
reproduction  of  the  photograph,  for  the  camera  will 
truthfully  reproduce  what  is  set  before  it.  The  evi- 
dence must  be  sifted. 

The  print  made  useful  is  of  distinct  value  to  those 
carrying  on  research  in  special  lines.  And  the  fact 
that  prints  can  serve  such  distinctly  useful  ends  apart 
from  purely  aesthetic  considerations,  while  it  benefits 
a  larger  public,  does  not  detract  in  the  slightest  from 
their  value  to  the  connoisseur. 


300         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

This  varied  usefulness  and  interest  of  the  print  also 
broadens  the  field  of  the  collector.  Hence  we  find 
that  artistic  qualities  in  a  print  are  not  the  only  things 
that  make  it  sought  after.  Beside  the  enthusiastic 
collector  of  Whistlers,  Rembrandts,  Hadens,  there 
are  those  who  acquire  prints  for  their  subject  inter- 
est, with  just  as  keen  an  enjoyment  in  running  down 
the  rarity  or  the  unique  impression.  Specialties  are 
developed.  One  aims  at  as  complete  as  possible  a  lot 
of  portraits  of  Washington,  or  Franklin,  or  Napoleon; 
another  acquires  theatrical  portraits  and  scenes ;  meth- 
ods of  transportation  on  land  and  water  are  of  ab- 
sorbing interest  to  still  another;  one  has  collected  and 
delved  to  the  extent  of  making  himself  an  expert  on 
uniforms  of  the  American  revolution;  Lipperheide 
amassed  a  remarkable  lot  of  pictures  of  costume; 
Sir  Augustus  Wollaston  Franks  brought  together  a 
collection  of  seventy  thousand  English  and  American 
book-plates,  bequeathed  to  the  British  Museum. 

This  particular  trend  of  collectorship  has  produced 
also  the  "  Grangerizer,"  or  "  extra-illustrator,"  about 
whom  D.  M.  Treadwell  wrote  his  "  Monograph  on 
Privately  Illustrated  Books"  (1892).  The  method 
of  illustrating  a  book  by  inserting  appropriate  prints 
from  all  possible  sources  was  stimulated  by  the  Rev. 
James  Granger's  "  Biographical  History  of  England  " 
(1769),  issued  for  the  express  purpose  of  being  illus- 
trated by  portraits.  By  this  practice  a  book  may  be 
"  extended  "  to  several  volumes.  Dr.  T.  Addis  Em- 
met, W.  L.  Andrews,  E.  A.  Duyckinck,  S.  J.  Tilden, 
Augustin  Daly  are  among  Americans  identified  with 
this  form  of  collecting. 


THE  SUBJECT-INTEREST  301 

I  know  very  well  that  the  phase  of  collecting 
activity  dealt  with  in  this  chapter  is  not  usually  re- 
garded by  writers  on  prints.  Yet  it  has  its  justifica- 
tion as  well  as  that  which  is  based  on  aesthetic  princi- 
ples. Furthermore,  it  results  in  the  assured  preserva- 
tion of  very  much  valuable  material  that  would  be 
quite  overlooked  if  we  all  placed  ourselves  on  the 
purely  artistic  basis  and  from  this  standpoint  shut 
out  of  our  view  all  but  a  few  of  the  greatest  artists. 

There  are  many  men  and  many  minds.  There 
should  be  a  free  unfolding  and  development  of  the 
individual  temperament  and  taste.  If  we  only  remem- 
ber that  development  implies  self-training.  The  re- 
strictions of  complacent  ignorance  are  as  depressing  to 
the  sight  as  the  narrowness  of  prejudiced  preciosity. 


CHAPTER  XV 
SOME  SPECIALTIES 

THE  practical  side  of  the  specialty  has  been  touched 
upon  in  the  preceding  chapter.  But  it  is  to  be  viewed 
also  from  the  artistic  standpoint. 

For  example,  while  the  interest  of  personality  can- 
not be  entirely  eliminated  from  our  consideration  of 
portraits,  a  selection  of  the  same  may  be  made  on 
grounds  primarily  aesthetic,  to  the  extent  of  choosing 
only  those  which  are  really  noteworthy  specimens  of 
the  arts  of  reproduction.  The  varied  interest  of 
portraiture  is  heightened  by  the  artist's  point  of  view. 
Rembrandt,  Durer,  the  eighteenth-century  masters  of 
line  engraving  in  France,  Deveria,  Legros,  Desboutin, 
Veth,  artists  of  different  lands  and  times,  have  given 
us  portraits  in  which  force  and  originality  in  tech- 
nique and  artistic  effect  are  joined  to  sympathetic 
insight  into,  and  disclosure  of,  personality.  The  por- 
traits of  Edmond  de  Goncourt  by  Bracquemond,  Dar- 
win by  Raj  on  and  Wagner  by  Egusquiza  may  serve 
as  three  among  many  typical  examples  of  modern 
work  answering  the  requirements  indicated.  The 
elements  involved  in  portraiture  are  complex.  The 
mood  of  the  sitter,  his  interest  in  or  sympathy  with 
the  artist,  the  artist's  response  to  the  mental  attitude 
of  the  sitter  and  his  ability  to  give  an  intimate  analysis 

302 


SOME  SPECIALTIES  303 

of  his  individuality,  these  are  factors  which  essentially 
influence  the  final  result.  When  various  artists  of 
ability  portray  the  same  person,  we  have  the  added 
interest  of  a  study  of  personality  as  it  impressed  dif- 
ferent minds.  An  obvious  illustration  is  found  in  the 
portraits  of  Whistler,  both  in  oils  and  in  black  and 
white,  by  Fantin-Latour,  Menpes,  Way,  Chase, 
Nicholson,  Pellegrini,  Boldini  and  Whistler  himself. 
We  are  concerned  not  only  with  correctness  of  detail 
in  the  presentation  of  features.  They  may  be  put 
down  with  no  soul  behind  them.  The  superficial  re- 
cording of  a  few  evident  signs  of  character  does  not 
constitute  proof  of  the  gift  of  introspection.  Mechan- 
ical exactitude  may  mislead,  and  the  camera  even  may 
reproduce  the  person  in  attitude  or  expression  false 
to  himself.  The  personality  of  the  artist  counts  in 
portraiture  as  in  every  form  of  art. 

The  spirit  of  specialization  has  been  directed  into 
numerous  paths  beside  those  indicated  at  various 
places  in  the  present  book,  particularly  in  the  chapters 
on  "  Collecting  "  and  "  Subject- Interest." 

Among  the  various  classes  of  prints  which  have 
formed  special  objects  of  study  and  of  the  collecting 
instinct,  two  have  assumed  proportions  of  noteworthy 
importance,  the  book-plate  and  the  poster,  the  smallest 
and  largest  forms  of  prints. 

The  cult  of  the  book-plate  has  become  widespread. 
Once  simply  a  mark  of  ownership  to  be  inserted  in 
a  book,  it  has  become  also  an  object  sought  for  itself, 
desired  by  collectors  and  exchanged  by  the  owner  for 
other  ex-libris. 

A  large  and  growing  literature  exists  which  deals 


304         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

with  this  particular  form  of  the  collector's  activity, 
and  which  includes  general  manuals  such  as  those  by 
W.  J.  Hardy,  Z.  A.  Dixson,  C.  D.  Allen,  as  well  as 
books  on  ex-libris  in  particular  countries,  or  of  a 
particular  kind — for  instance,  book-plates  by  women. 
Periodicals  in  various  countries  are  devoted  to  it,  as 
are  the  ex-libris  societies  which  have  been  formed. 
Very  large  private  collections  exist,  some  comprising 
twenty,  thirty  or  forty  thousand  pieces,  and  there  are 
even  larger  public  ones,  notably  that  in  the  British 
Museum.  Exhibitions  of  book-plates  have  been  held, 
as  a  matter  of  course. 

In  the  earlier  days  of  its  history,  which  covers 
over  four  centuries,  the  importance  of  heraldry  was 
strongly  reflected  in  the  book-plate,  which  appeared 
in  the  brave  pomp  and  dignity  of  armorial  bearings, 
a  feature  which  held  its  own  through  the  eighteenth 
century.  At  the  same  time,  certain  types  were  devel- 
oped, some  of  which  left  the  impress  of  their  pre- 
dominance on  whole  periods.  Such  are,  for  example, 
the  Jacobean,  the  Ribbon  and  Wreath,  the  Allegorical 
and  finally  the  Pictorial.  The  last  has  again  its  sub- 
divisions: there  is  the  book-pile  plate,  the  library  in- 
terior, the  portrait,  the  biographical,  the  landscape  and 
so  on. 

These  pictorial  plates,  widely  used  to-day,  afford 
much  play  to  idiosyncracy.  The  personality  of  the 
owner  is  apparent  in  pictorial  reflection  of  his  tastes, 
his  studies,  his  hobbies,  his  surroundings.  The  most 
obvious  expression  of  the  ego  is  of  course  the  por- 
trait, which  sometimes  takes  the  form  of  a  full-length 
among  the  books  of  the  library.  More  frequently, 


SOME  SPECIALTIES  305 

however,  the  personal  inclination,  or  the  mental  bent, 
is  indicated  in  frank  illustration  or  by  allegorical 
allusion.  Books  are  depicted  with  the  names  of  pre- 
ferred authors  prominently  displayed  on  the  back,  or 
the  paraphernalia  of  the  favorite  sport  or  other  hobby 
to  which  the  person  in  question  is  particularly 
addicted. 

Most  pleasing,  most  successful  artistically,  are  those 
plates  in  which  the  individuality  of  the  owner  is 
expressed  symbolically  in  an  unobtrusive  way. 

Possibilities  for  the  display  of  poor  taste  are  plenti- 
ful. An  apparent  anxiety  to  remove  all  suspicion  of 
a  light  bushel-covered  contrary  to  Scripture  leads 
some  to  have  their  ex-libris  overloaded  with  allusions 
to  personal  character  and  achievement,  with  parade  of 
cheap  learning.  The  book-plate  should  not  say  too 
much.  It  is  sometimes  pitiful  to  see  how  the  designer 
has  been  hampered  and  handicapped  by  complacent 
vanity  straddling  his  freedom  of  expression  as  the  Old 
Man  of  the  Sea  did  Sindbad  the  Sailor. 

It  is  also  conceivable  that  unfortunate  results  may 
be  caused  by  artistic  vagaries,  the  desire  to  make  the 
poor  book-plate  fill  the  function  of, — a  mural  painting, 
if  you  please,  or  any  other  inappropriate  form  of  art, 
or  the  attempt  to  give  expression  to  some  ultra-revolu- 
tionary aesthetic  theories,  without  regard  to  the  prime 
object  that  should  be  kept  in  view. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  spoil  the  appetite  by  looking 
at  poor  things,  when  so  many  appropriate  and  in- 
offensive outlooks  on  personality  are  offered.  Occa- 
sionally a  particularly  striking  or  amusingly  pat  design 
or  motto  comes  to  view.  The  book-plate  of  a  noted 


306         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

American  comedian,  representing  a  court  jester,  un- 
mindful of  fleeting  time,  lost  in  bookish  delights  amid 
old  volumes.  The  simple  outline  design  adapted  from 
an  Italian  woodcut,  adopted  by  an  American  editor 
of  Vasari's  "  Lives."  Or  the  Je  I'ai  ("  I  have  it  "), 
entwining  a  book  on  Bracquemond's  plate  for  A. 
Poulet-Malassis,  the  exultant  exclamation  of  the 
bibliophile  gloating  over  a  "  find."  And  the  Lon- 
don "  'Arriet,"  glancing  side-long  out  of  the  design 
made  by  W.  Nicholson  for  Phil  May,  who  held  her 
vulgar  rakisjiness  so  well  in  the  pages  of  Punch. 

The  list  of  artists  who  have  designed  book-plates 
which  are  appropriate  and  give  satisfaction  to  the  eye 
is  a  long  one.  Mention  of  a  few  will  suffice  to  indi- 
cate the  great  variety  in  artistic  style  and  mood  and 
originality  which  has  been  enlisted  in  this  very  special 
branch  of  the  designer's  activity.  Diirer,  Amman, 
Faithorne,  Bartolozzi,  Strange,  Morghen,  Eisen, 
Chodowiecki,  Bewick,  Revere,  Bouvenne,  Bracque- 
mond,  Rassen fosse,  Thoma,  Doepler,  Greiner,  Sattler, 
Orlik,  Walter  Crane,  D.  Y.  Cameron,  D.  McN. 
Stauffer,  G.  W.  Edwards,  E.  H.  Garrett  and  such  as 
are  known  mainly  or  altogether  by  their  productions 
in  this  field :  C.  W.  Sherborn,  the  late  E.  D.  French, 
J.  W.  Spenceley,  W.  F.  Hopson,  Jay  Chambers,  W. 
M.  Stone.  A  list  of  this  kind  evokes  a  remarkable 
array  of  varied  art  influences,  national  and  personal; 
of  methods  and  reproductive  processes;  of  artistic 
individuality  directed  occasionally,  with  freshness  of 
view,  to  this  form  of  art;  of  the  specialized  talent 
devoted  entirely  to  it,  with  intelligent  adaptation  of 
means  to  purpose.  There  is  much  activity  to-day  in  the 


SOME  SPECIALTIES  307 

designing  of  book-plates,  with  a  range  of  styles  from 
the  classic  serenity  of  a  Sherborn  or  French  to  the 
grace  and  wit  of  some  of  the  Frenchmen  or  the  vig- 
orous modernity  of  certain  Germans. 

Such  principles  of  taste  as  apply  in  the  consideration 
of  all  prints  hold  good  here  as  well.  The  question 
of  appropriateness,  in  conception  and  design,  to  the 
end  in  view,  must  be  met  here  as  elsewhere.  Con- 
ducted in  such  a  spirit,  the  study  of  the  book-plate  will 
both  stimulate  the  imagination  by  mental  association 
with  men  of  thought  and  action,  and  whet  the  taste 
by  the  contemplation  of  artistic  talent  applied  to  a  very 
definite  object. 

The  poster  was  first  raised  to  the  dignity  of  a  form 
of  art  in  France.  The  posting  of  written  or  printed 
announcements  on  walls  and  other  places  is  an  old 
practice.  After  the  advent  of  wood  engraving  the 
aid  of  the  picture  was  called  in  to  lend  force  to  the 
text.  The  wood-block  remained  the  medium  for  this 
purpose  until  late  in  the  nineteenth  century,  when 
lithography  took  its  place. 

Jules  Cheret's  name  is  prominently  identified  with 
the  change  in  method  which  made  it  possible  for  the 
lithographic  stone  to  give  more  in  this  field  than  the 
uninteresting  average  of  commercial  expression.  By 
simplifying  the  color  scheme  he  both  reduced  the  num- 
ber of  printings  and  produced  striking  effects.  These 
latter  he  enhanced  by  simplicity  of  design,  born  of 
a  command  of  line,  and  a  peculiarly  lively  swing 
("galloping  composition,"  someone  has  called  it),  a 
characteristic  French  flavor  pervading  it  all.  This 
artistic  virtuosity  was  exercised  in  the  fulfillment  of 


3o8          HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

the  poster's  purpose.  His  designs  are  intended  to  be 
seen  at  a  distance,  and  to  tell  their  story  forcibly, 
clearly  and  immediately.  They  constitute  perhaps  the 
most  effective  artistic  response  to  this  demand.  Gras- 
set  and  other  Frenchmen  have  worked  with  more  or 
less  success  in  a  branch  of  art  to  which  books  such 
as  "  L'Affiche  Illustree,"  "  Les  Maitres  de  1'Affiche," 
"  The  Book  of  the  Poster,"  and  the  periodical  "  The 
Poster  "  are  devoted. 

This  movement  made  itself  felt  also  in  England, 
where  the  poster  for  Wilkie's  "  Woman  in  White," 
by  Fred  Walker,  is  a  sort  of  classic,  and  where  Dudley 
Hardy,  Tom  Browne  and  others  have  shown  snap  and 
a  proper  regard  for  the  end  in  view,  the  power  to 
arrest  attention. 

Not  quite  so  simple  and  direct,  although  eminently 
decorative,  is  the  work  of  Mucha  and  Louis  Rhead. 

The  want  of  the  "  poster  quality  "  is  one  that  may 
nullify  the  force  of  the  most  artistic  design.  Some 
beautiful  work  has  been  accomplished  in  Germany 
and  other  European  countries,  for  instance,  but  not 
all  of  it  has  been  free  from  the  fault  of  non-adap- 
tation of  means  to  end.  If  design  or  color  is  too 
involved,  if  the  artist  tries  to  say  too  much  within 
the  space  accorded  him,  or  if  the  lettering  is  all  too 
ornate,  or  too  small,  or  hidden  among  pictorial  intri- 
cacies, the  object  of  the  poster  is  missed.  A  poster  is 
an  advertisement,  and  bound  by  certain  practical  rules. 
It  should  attract  primarily,  and  should  do  so  even 
though,  being  executed  artistically,  it  attract  attrac- 
tively. The  point  is,  to  strike  the  eye,  and  plainness, 
distinctness  is  therefore  a  desideratum. 


SOME  SPECIALTIES  309 

In  the  United  States  such  a  poster  as  the  one  by 
Arthur  W.  Dow  for  Modern  Art,  a  landscape  in 
simple  flat  tints,  with  plain  lettering,  carries  out  its 
purpose  with  artistic  discretion.  Some  of  the  monthly 
magazines  have  occasionally  been  similarly  appropri- 
ately advertised.  By  business  houses  this  form  of 
advertisement  has  not  been  utilized  as  in  Paris  and 
elsewhere.  And  in  the  most  frequently  seen  example, 
the  theatrical  poster,  we  have  generally  the  choice  be- 
tween a  melodramatic  picture  of  a  scene  in  the  play,  or 
of  an  exhibit  of  lettering  only.  In  the  exceptional 
case,  when  an  artist  such  as  Haskell  or  Ivanowski 
draws  on  stone  a  head  of  an  actress,  say  Mrs.  Fiske, 
the  unusually  free  quality  of  the  work  strikes  the  be- 
holder, and  therefore  attracts  attention,  but  there  is 
no  further  attempt  to  express  the  poster  idea. 

In  adaptation  of  manner  and  composition  to  the  ob- 
ject in  view,  some  of  the  artists  of  the  Kiinstlerbund 
of  Karlsruhe,  working  in  the  modern  German  spirit 
of  the  universal  applicability  of  art  ideals,  have  shown 
a  happy  hand  in  their  designs  for  labels  on  tin  cans, 
advertising  cards  and  the  like.  They  use  few  colors, 
simple  effects  and  appropriateness  of  conception  and 
arrangement  with  an  artistic  effectiveness  which 
causes  lively  regret  when  one  recalls  the  commonplace 
affairs  usually  seen.  Walter  von  zur  Westen's  fully 
illustrated  "  Reklamekunst  "  ("  art  of  the  ad  ")  is  an 
interesting  guide  to  this  form  of  art. 

The  art  of  the  small  is  exemplified  also  in  cards  of 
invitation,  business  cards,  programmes,  menus,  wine 
cards,  etc.,  etc.,  of  which  many  are  pictured  in  Leon 
Maillard's  "  Les  Menus  et  Programmes  illustres  "  and 


3io         HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

E.  Maindron's  "  Les  Programmes  illustres."  Nu- 
merous interesting  pieces  there  are,  graceful  conceits 
by  Moreau  le  jeune  and  his  contemporaries,  original 
conceptions  by  Bracquemond  and  other  modern 
Frenchmen,  elaborate  productions  such  as  Klinger's 
card  of  invitation  to  an  art  dealer's  exhibit. 

Many  prints  are  illustrative  in  character, — portraits, 
views,  historical  scenes — as  was  set  forth  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapter. 

The  direct  application  of  the  various  processes 
of  engraving  to  book-illustration  proper  has  been 
indicated  throughout  the  present  volume.  Particularly 
in  the  case  of  wood-engraving,  that  democratic  art, 
the  history  of  which,  from  the  earliest  block-book  to 
the  latest  products  of  the  American  school,  is  practi- 
cally a  record  of  book-illustration  in  its  most  impor- 
tant aspect  before  the  advent  of  the  photomechanical 
processes.  The  influence  of  the  latter  was  decided 
almost  from  the  beginning,  and  has  increased.  Not 
only  have  they  cheapened  production  and  therefore 
extended  it,  but  they  have  facilitated  the  activity  of  the 
illustrator.  As  an  editorial  in  the  Evening  Post  of 
New  York  pointed  out  not  long  ago,  before  the  days 
of  the  camera  the  wood  block  called  for  some  definite- 
ness  of  statement  on  the  part  of  the  artist.  Now  he 
can  work  in  any  style,  and  slur  details,  for  the  new 
processes  will  reproduce  the  "  half  realized  daub  "  as 
well  as  the  careful  drawing. 

American  book  and  magazine  illustration  holds  high 
rank,  the  highest,  it  is  claimed.  But  there  may  be 
found  individual  cases  of  special  prominence  whose 
expression  is  not  exactly  appropriate.  A  clever  or 


SOME  SPECIALTIES  311 

dashing  or  elegant  drawing  is  not  per  se  a  good  illu- 
tration.  Nor  is  the  swagger  element  always  a  sign  of 
strength,  or  slighting  of  details  necessarily  a  proof 
that  the  artist  has  summarily  recorded  an  impression 
or  has  had  any  to  record. 

Illustration,  to  be  adequate,  must  either  elucidate 
the  text  or  adorn  it.  The  former  implies  introspec- 
tion and  sympathy  on  the  part  of  the  artist ;  the  latter, 
a  feeling  for  decorative  effect  and  harmony.  A  har- 
mony that  may  comprise  all  the  parts  of  the  book 
("  end  papers  "  and  all),  the  "  ideal  "  book  of  William 
Morris,  who  held  that  the  outside  of  a  book  is  deter- 
mined by  its  contents.  The  establishment  of  this  inti- 
mate connection  between  text,  illustration  and  orna- 
mentation is  striven  for  by  certain  modern  German 
artists  whose  aim  is  the  "uniform  impression"  of  the 
book.  One  may  even  find  a  Joseph  Sattler  designing 
not  only  illustrations  and  ornaments  for  a  book,  but 
the  type  as  well.  Illustration,  as  we  ordinarily  see  it, 
is  not  intimately  connected  with  the  printed  page  and 
does  not  form  book  ornamentation  conjointly  with  the 
text.  It  usually  consists  of  pictures  separate  from  the 
letter-press,  deals  with  more  or  less  realistic  situations, 
and  demands  of  the  artist  primarily  an  intelligent 
understanding  of  the  text  and  the  ability  to  state 
pictorially  the  psychical  and  physical  relations  between 
the  different  characters  to  be  represented.  This  pre- 
supposes a  sympathetic  understanding  of  the  mind  in 
its  various  manifestations,  a  sympathy  that  responds 
readily  to  the  varying  notes  struck  by  different  aspects 
of  humanity.  This  ability  is  possessed  by  Howard 
Pyle,  W.  T.  Smedley,  A.  I.  Keller  and  other  Ameri- 


312          HOW  TO  APPRECIATE  PRINTS 

cans.  The  application  of  sound  principles  in  book 
illustration  may  be  traced  in  more  detailed  records  of 
the  art  such  as  Pennell's  "  Pen  Drawing  and  Pen 
Draughtsmen,"  GrautofFs  "  Entwicklung  der  mo- 
dernen  Buchkunst  in  Deutschland,"  Gleeson  White's 
volume  on  the  English  illustrators  of  the  sixties,  and 
many  others. 

Questions  of  fitness,  of  psychological  analysis,  of 
conscientious  study  of  each  special  case,  enter  into  an 
adequate  illustration  together  with  good  drawing  and 
composition. 

Thought  is  necessary  as  well  as  manual  dexterity. 
The  intelligence  must  join  with  the  hands  to  produce 
work  that  shall  be  of  lasting  worth.    And  this  requi- 
site is  inclusive  enough  to  determine  judgment  in  the 
consideration  of  any  work  of  art. 


A  WORD  IN  CLOSING 

I  have  tried  in  this  book  to  accentuate  liberality. 
Have  your  specialty,  retain  your  most  enthusiastic  ad- 
miration for  the  form  of  art  that  pleases  you  best. 
But  keep  an  unbiased  eye  and  mind  also  for  what  is 
not  so  close  to  your  heart.  Be  critical,  but  be  liberal 
also.  He  who  thinks  and  knows  can  much  better 
afford  to  look  indulgently  at  work  that  has  faults — be- 
cause he  also  sees  what  is  good  in  it — than  he  who  ad- 
mires ignorantly. 


313 


INDEX 


The  aim  has  been  to  make  this  Index  useful,  and  not  to  encum- 
ber it  with  a  mass  of  irrelevant  entries.  Names  of  painters,  for 
example,  have  not  been  indexed  whenever  they  happened  to  be 
mentioned,  but  only  when  they  directly  helped  to  illustrate  the 
subject-matter  of  this  book. 


A  la  poupee.     See  Poupee. 

Achenbach,  Andreas  and  Os- 
wald, 222. 

Acid.     See   Biting. 

Ackermann  (publisher),  136, 
141. 

Ad  vivum,  278. 

Adam,   Victor,   212. 

Adams,   J.   A.,    181. 

Advertisements,   309. 

Aerial  perspective.  See  Per- 
spective. 

Agoty,  Gautier  d'.     See  Gautier. 

Aid,  G.  C,  45. 

Aikman,  W.  M.,  189. 

Aldegrever,   Heinrich,  67,  296. 

Algraphie,  209,  230. 

Alix,  P.  M.,  138,  286. 

Alken,   Henry,   136. 

Alma-Tadema,  L.,  235. 

Altdorfer,    Albrecht,   67. 

Altered  plates,  270,  286-287. 

Aluminium  plates  in  lithog- 
raphy, 209,  230. 

Aman-Jean,  E.,  227. 

American  Water  Color  So- 
ciety, 44. 

Amman,  Jost,  69,  169,  247,  306. 

Amsterdam  Cabinet,  Master  of 
the,  65. 

Anderson,  Alexander,  186. 

Andreini,  Andrea,  174. 

Androuet  du  Cerceau,  Jacques, 
77- 

Animals.  For  artists  particu- 
larly identified  with  animal 


subjects,  see  Barye,  Berg- 
hem,  Bonheur,  Brascassat, 
Delacroix,  Dujardin,  Muy- 
den  and  Potter. 

Annis,  W.  T.,  115. 

Annuals,  Literary,  87,  121,  123. 

Anthony,  A.  V.  S.,   186. 

Appian,  Adolphe,  34,  213. 

Appleton,   Thomas  G.,   124. 

Aquafortis,  278. 

Aquatint,  114,  130-144  (Chap- 
ter V) ,  148,  250,  266 ;  in  com- 
bination with  etching,  17,  18, 
21,  35,  46,  47,  4.8,  49,  142, 

143,  144;  with  stipple, 

140,  148,  158,  160; with 

mezzotint,  141 ;  used  in  pho- 
togravure, 243. 

Arcis,  d'.     See  Darcis. 

Ardail   (printer),  271. 

"  Ars  moriendi,"   166. 

Artist  Engraver,   124. 

Artist's  proof.     See   Proofs. 

Aubry-Lecomte,    2IO-2II. 

Augrand,  P.,  159. 

Autotype,    147. 

Aveline,  Pierre,  80. 

Avignon,  F.  d'.  See  D'Avi- 
gnon. 

Bacher,   Otto  H.,  41,  43. 
Baertsoen,  Albert,  47. 
Baillie,    William,    28. 
Baldini,   Baccio,   73. 
Balestieri,  47. 
Bank-note  engraving,  58,  90. 


315 


INDEX 


Barbari,  Jacopo  de',  74. 
Baren,   199. 
Bargue,  Charles,  215. 
Barney,  W.  W.,  120. 
Bartolozzi,    F.,    147,    149,    152- 

154,   1 60,   161,  260,  262,  306. 
Barye,  A.  L.,  212,  224. 
Basan,  P.  F.,  277. 
Bath,  Etching.     See  Biting. 
Baude,  Charles,  190. 
Baudoux,   Robert  de,  279. 
Bauer,  M.,  47,  232. 
Baugniet,   220. 
Bause,  J.  F.,  85. 
Baxter,  George,  247,  248. 
Beckett,  Isaac,  98. 
Bega,  C,  30. 
Beham,  B.  and  H.  S.,  55,  67, 

68,  279,  280. 
Bejot,  48. 

Bella,  Stefano  della,  31. 
Bellange,  Hippolyte,  215. 
Bellay,  Ch.,  90. 
Belliard,  Zephyrin,  220. 
Bennett,  W.  J.,  137. 
Berghem,  Claes  (Nicolas),  29. 
Bernstrom,  Victor,  189. 
Berri,     Marie     Caroline,     Du- 

chesse  de,  209. 
Bervic,  J.  G.,  282. 
Besnard,  A.,  227. 
Bewick,  Thomas,  177-178,  179, 

180-181,  267,  306. 
Bible    illustrations,     162,     167, 

169,   173,   181,   182,   183,   186, 

202,  296. 

Biblia  pauperum,  162. 
Biese,  Karl,  193,  231. 
Bird,  Charles,   126. 
Biting,    Acid,    in   etching  and 

aquatint,    12,    13,    14,    19,  30, 

114,    131,    132;  stipple, 

149. 

Biting,  Foul,  17,  130. 
Blake,  William,  250-251,  260. 
Blanchard,   A.,  90. 
Block-books,   162,   165,  247. 
Block-printing  in  schools,   165. 
Blooteling,  Abraham,73,  97,  98. 
Bluck,  J.,  137. 
Blum,  Robert  F.,  44. 


Bodmer,  Karl,  213. 

Boilly,  L.  L.,  217. 

Boissieu,  J.  J.,  17,  31. 

Bol,  Ferdinand,  27. 

Boldrini,  Niccolo,  173. 

Bolswert,  Schelte  a,  72. 

Bone,  M.,  42. 

Bonheur,  Rosa,  212. 

Bonington,  R.  P.,  225. 

Bonnet,  L.  M.,  159,  250. 

Book  illustration.  See  Illus- 
tration. 

Book-plates,  56,  300,  303-307. 

Botticelli,  73-74,  173. 

Boucher-Desnoyers,  A.,  90. 

Boutet  de  Monvel.   See  Monvel. 

Bouvenne,  A.,  306. 

Bouvier,  221. 

Boxwood  in  wood  engraving, 
179. 

Boydell,  J.,  84,  141,  277,  280. 

Bracquemond,  Felix,  33,  36, 
47,  142,  227,  240,  268,  302, 
306,  310. 

Brangwyn,    Frank,   42. 

Branston,   Robert,   181. 

Brascassat,   J.   R.,   212. 

Bretherton,  James,  286. 

Brion,  E.,  80. 

Brown,  J.  Lewis,  228. 

Brown,  M.  E.  D.,  235. 

Browne,  Tom,  308. 

Brunet-Debaines,  A.,  34,  141, 
142,  295. 

Brunswick  black.  See  Stop- 
ping-out varnish. 

Bry,  T.   de,  296. 

Biichel,  Ed,  90. 

Buhot,  Felix,  12,  18,  34-35. 
142,  270,  274. 

Burgkmaier,  Hans,  168,  169, 
174,  282. 

Burin.     See  Graver. 

Burnisher  and  burnishing,  14, 
55,  95,  149,  269,  270. 

Burr  in  dry-point,  19,  94,  266. 

Burt,  Charles,  90,  91. 

Cadart  (publisher),  32. 
Caduceus,  Master  of  the.     See 
Barbari. 


INDEX 


317 


Calamatta,  Luigi,  90. 
Calame,  A.,  226. 
Callot,  Jacques,   30-31,  296. 
Camaieu.     See   Chiaroscuro. 
Cameron,  D.  Y.,  42,  272,  306. 
Campagnola,  Domenico,  74- 
Campagnola,  Giulio,  74. 
Canaletto,  31. 
Canceled  plates,  281-282. 
Card  designing,  309. 
Cardon,  A.,  158. 
Caricature,  La,  213 
Caricature,   297;   in   mezzotint, 

113;  in  lithography,  213,  217- 

219,    229;    in    wood    engrav- 
ing, 184. 

Carpi,  TJgoda,  174. 
Carracci,   Agostino,   70,  76. 
Cars,  Laurent,  80. 
Cassatt,  Mary,  35,  48,  49,   143, 

194,  236,  281. 
Castiglione,  G.  B.,  27,  31. 
Caylus,  Comte  de,  80,   148. 
Chabanian,  47. 
Chahine,  Edgar,  47. 
Chalk    manner.      See    Crayon 

manner. 

Chambers,  Jay,  306. 
Changed  plates.      See  Altered 

plates. 

Chap-books,  163. 
Chaplin,  Charles,  221. 
Chapman,  157,  251. 
Chapman,  J.  G.,  181. 
Chardin,  J.  B.  S.,  80. 
Charivari,  213. 
Charlet,  N.  T.,  214,  215,  216- 

217,  295. 

Chartran,  T.,  228. 
Chauvel,    Theophile,    36,    221, 

297. 
Chavannes.       See     Puvis     de 

Chavannes. 

Cheret,  Jules,  226,  227,  307-308. 
Chevallier,  G.  S.  See  Gavarni. 
"  Chiaroscuro "  Method,  140, 

147,   173-174,   175,  248. 
Chifflart,  N.  R,  34. 
Children's  books,  246. 
Chodowiecki,    Daniel,    31,    270, 

284,  306. 


Choffard,  P.  P.,  8l. 

Christopher,  St. :  wood-cut  of 
1423,  165. 

Chromo  -  Lithography.  See 
Color  printing :  L  i  t  h  o  - 
graphs. 

Chromo-xylography,  195.  See 
Color  printing:  Wood  en- 
gravings. 

Chromos,  3. 

Clark,  John,  136. 

Classification    of    prints,    292- 

293- 

Claude  Lorraine.     See  Gelee. 

Cleaning  prints,  290. 

Clennell,  Lucas,  181. 

Cliche.     See  Electrotype. 

Clint,  G.,  115. 

Closson,  W.  B.,  189. 

Clouston,  R.  S.,  124,  125. 

Cochin,  C.  N.  (the  younger), 
81. 

Cockson,  Thomas,  82. 

Cole,  J.  Foxcroft,  236. 

Cole,  Timothy,  189. 

Colin,  Paul,  193. 

Collas  ruling  machine,  240. 

Collecting,  256-263  (Chapter 
XI),  300-301. 

Collectors'  marks,  258,  284. 

Collotype,  146,  243. 

Colman,  Samuel,  43. 

Colonna's  "  Hypnerotomachia 
Poliphilii,"  172,  176. 

Color  photography,  244,  245. 

Color  printing,  246-255  (Chap- 
ter X),  274;  etchings,  47-5O, 

246,  254;     line    engravings, 
246 ;  mezzotints,  126,  246,  249, 
251,  253,  280;  aquatints,  137- 
140,    143,    144,    246;    stipple, 
148,   158  - 160,  246,  250,  251, 
252;    wood   engravings,    173, 
174,    189,   192,   193,  202,   246, 

247,  248.      (See    also    Japa- 
nese    prints)  ;     lithographs, 
226,  227,  228,  230-232,  246, 
253 ;    photomechanical    proc- 
esses, 244-246,  251. 

Color  prints,  Forged,  284. 
Coloring   by    hand,    246,    252; 


INDEX 


aquatints,  134,  135,  136,  140, 
141;  stipple,  158,  159;  wood 
engravings,  166,  176,  247; 
lithographs,  230;  William 
Blake's  prints,  251. 

Comte  process,  240. 

Cook,  H.  R.,  157. 

Cooke,  George,  90. 

Cooper,  T.  S.,  226. 

Copies,  28,  285-286.  See  also 
Forgeries. 

Coqueret,  P.  C,  138. 

Corbutt.  See  Purcell,  Rich- 
ard. 

Corot,  J.  B.  Camille,  32. 

Cottet,  48. 

Counter-proofs.     See  Proofs. 

Cousin,  Jean,  176. 

Cousins,   Samuel,  96,  100,  121. 

Cradle.     See  Rocker. 

Cranach,  Lucas,  168,  174. 

Crane,  Walter,  306. 

Crayon  or  chalk  manner,  146, 
147,  148,  250. 

Crome,  John,  21. 

Cross-hatching  in  line  engrav- 
ing, 65,  73,  76,  82,  91,  97; 

in  wood  engraving,  166, 

167,  168,  170,  171,  177-179, 

181,  182,  183,  184;  in 

lithography,  214,  220. 

Cruikshank,  George,  43,  136, 
297. 

Dagnan-Bouveret,    P.    A.    J., 

228. 

Dake,  Carel  L.,  47. 
Dalziel  Brothers,  183. 
Dance  of  Death.     See  Death. 
Daniell,  T.,  137. 
Daniell,  William,  135,  137. 
Darcis,  Louis,   159. 
Darley,  F.  O.  C.,  91,  208. 
Daubigny,  C.  F.,  32. 
Daumier,    Honore,    191,    217- 

218,  297. 

Davies,  A.  B.,  237. 
D' Avignon,  F.,  235. 
Davis,  J.  P.,  189. 
Dawe,  H.,  115. 
Dayes    (publisher),   134. 


Dean,  John,  103,  107. 

Death,  Dance  of,  169-171,  176. 

Debuconrt,  P.  L.,  138-139,  148, 
254,  260. 

Decamps,  A.   G.,  213-214,  217. 

Del.,  278. 

Delacroix,  Eugene,  142,  211- 
212. 

Delaram,  Francis,  82. 

Delatre,  A.,  21,  271. 

Delatre,  E.,  47. 

Delattre,  I.  M.,  153,  154. 

Delaune,  Etienne,  77. 

Delineavit,  278. 

Delpech   (printer),  278. 

Delpy,  47. 

Demarteau,  Gilles,  148. 

Demonchy,  Fme,  159. 

Desboutin,  Marcelin,  34,  227, 
295,  302. 

Descourtis,  C.  M.,   138. 

Desnoyers,  A.  Boucher-.  See 
Boucher-Desnoyers. 

Detaille,  E.,  228,  296. 

Deveria.  Achille,  219,  302. 

Diaz  de  la  Pefia,  Narciso  V., 
213- 

Dickinson,    William,    102,    109. 

Didier,  A.,  90. 

Die,  Master  with  the.  See 
Master,  etc. 

Dietrich,  C.  W.  E.,  31. 

Dillon,  H.  P.,  227. 

Direxit,  277,  278. 

Dixon,  John,  101-102,  109,  ill. 

Dpepler,  Emil  d.  J.,  306. 

Doo,  G.  T.,  90. 

Doolittle,  Amos,  92,  298. 

Dore,  Gu  stave,  182,  202,  217. 

Dotted  prints,  145. 

Doughty.  William,   103,   106. 

Dow,  Arthur  W.,  194,  201,  309. 

Drawings  reproduced,  146, 
147,  250 ;  by  aquatint,  134,  140, 
141,  147;  by  the  crayon  man- 
ner, stipple  and  mezzotint, 
147,  148,  250;  by  wood  en- 
graving, 173,  174,  202;  by 
lithography,  215;  by  photo- 
mechanical processes,  146, 
243- 


INDEX 


319 


Brevet,  Pierre  and  Pierre  Im- 
bert,  78,  79,  297. 

Dry-point,  15,  17,  19-20,  266; 
used  with  line  engraving,  55. 

Ducerceau.      See    Androuet. 

Duchatel  (printer),  271. 

Diirer,  Albrecht,  55,  60,  61, 
70,  91,  166,  275,  306;  line  en- 
gravings, 65-67,  68,  69,  74, 
268,  269,  274  ;  wood  engrav- 
ings, 167-168,  169  ;  portraits, 
92,  302  ;  his  signature,  279  ; 
Bible  scenes,  296;  fac-similes 
and  copies,  285-286. 

Du  Jardin,  Karel,  29. 

Dunkarton,  Robert,  102,  lio^ 
115,  126. 

Dupre,  Jules,  213. 

Durand,  A.  B.,  90. 

Dusart,  Cornelius,  97,  296. 

Duveneck,   Frank,  43. 

Duvet,  Jean,  77. 

Dyck,  A.  van,  29,  30,  260,  284. 

E.  S.    See  Master  E.  S. 
Earlom,  Richard,  105,  ill,  112, 

114,  155,  280. 
Easling,  J.  C,  115. 
Echoppe,  147. 
Eckmann,  Otto,  193. 
Edelinck,   Gerard,   78,  79,  296. 
Edwards,   Geo.   Wharton,  306. 
Edwards,  S.  Arlent,   126. 
Edwin,  David,  160. 
Egusquiza,  R.  de,  297,  302. 
Eilers,  G.,  90. 
Einschlag,  E.,  143. 
Eisen,  Charles,  81,  306. 
Electrotypes,   180,  240. 
Elten,     Kruseman     van.       See 

Kruseman    van  Elten. 
Embossed    effect    in    Japanese 

prints,    198;    in    lithographs, 

225,   228. 
"  English   manner,"    122.     See 

Mezzotint. 

Engraving.     See  Line  engrav- 
ing and  Wood  engraving. 
Estampe    (L')    moderne,   253. 
Estampe    (L')    originate,    143, 

227,  253. 


Etching  11-52  (Chapter  II), 
199,  266 ;  used  in  line  engrav- 
ing, 31,  55,  56,  68,  81,  83; 

with  mezzotint,  96,  114, 

119;  in  aquatint,  132, 

137,  140,  144; in  crayon 

manner,  147; in  stipple 

151,  155;  for  half-tone 

plates,  242; for  photo- 
gravure, 243 ;  reproductive 
etching,  32,  36-37,  258. 

Etching,  Soft-ground.  See 
Soft-ground  etching. 

Etching  on  stone,  208. 

Etching-ground,  12,  14,  15,  19, 
133,  147,  148,  149,  270. 

Etching-needle  12,  18.  See 
also  Echoppe. 

Everdingen,  A.  van,  29. 

Every,  George,  124. 

Ex-libris.     See  Book-plates. 

Excudit,  277,  278. 

Extra-illustrating,   300. 

Faber,  John,  senior  and  junior, 

98. 
Faithorne,    William,    82,    279, 

306;  the  younger,  98. 
Falk,  Jeremias,  84. 
Fantin-Latour,  H.,  228-229,  253, 

297,  303- 

Farrar,  Henry,  21. 
Fecit,  278. 

Feckert,  G.,  222,  297. 
Fevret  de  St.  Memin.    See  St. 

Memin. 

Ficquet,  Etienne,  81. 
Fikentscher,  Jenny,  231. 
Finden,  E.,  86,  277. 
Finiguerra,  Maso  da,  62. 
Fischer,  Otto,  143,  231. 
Fisher,  Edward,  101,  102,  106, 

108,  109. 

Flameng,  Leopold,  36,  285,  297. 
Flipart,  J.  J.,  80. 
Forgeries,  283-286. 
Formis,  278. 
Fortuny,  M.,  142. 
Foster,  Birket,  183. 
Foul  biting,  17,  130. 


320 


INDEX 


Fragonard,  J.  H.,  80. 
"  Framing  prints,"  87,  91,  123. 
Francia,  Jacopo,  75. 
Francois,  J.  C.,  148. 
French,  E.  D.,  56,  306,  307. 
French,  Frank,  189. 
Frere,  Ed.,  213. 
Frye,  Thomas,  126. 

Gaillard,  F.,  55,  90,  92. 

Gaillard,  Robert,  80. 

Gandolfi,    Mauro,    77. 

Gardens  of  Love,  Master  of 
the,  63. 

Garrett,  E.  H.,  306. 

Gaucher,  C.  E.,  81. 

Gauermann,  Friedrich,  45. 

Gautier  d'Agoty,  J.  F.,  249. 

Gavarni  (G.  S.  Chevallier), 
206,  217,  218-219,  297. 

Geddes,  Andrew,  28. 

Gelatine  in  photomechanical 
processes,  241-242. 

Gelee,  Claude  (Claude  Lor- 
raine), 29,  1 1 8,  280. 

Genre  art,  2,  72,  87-88,  91,  105, 
107,  UI-II2,  185,  296. 

Gerard,  H.,  159. 

Gerard,  I.  A.    See  Grandville, 

Gericault,  Theodore,  211. 

Geyger,  E.  M.,  46,  230. 

Gheyn,  Jacob,  72. 

Ghisi,  Georgio,  76. 

Gifford,  R.  Swain,  44. 

Gihaut  Brothers,  213. 

Gilbert,  Achilla,  221. 

Gillot  process,  240. 

Gillray,  James,  297. 

Girodet-Trioson,  210. 

Glackens  (W.  J.),  237. 

Glockenton,  Albert,  64. 

Goff,  Col.  R.,  42. 

Gold  printing,  140,  174. 

Goltzius,  Hendrik,  70-72,  171, 
174,  279,  296. 

Goldsmith's  work,  Early  Ital- 
ian, 62,  73. 

Gosselin,  E.,  286. 

Goulding,  F.    (printer),    271. 

Goya,  F.,  32,  142,  226,  282. 


Graf,  Oskar,  46,  48,  49,  142- 
143- 

Graf,  Urs,  168,  179. 

Grandville,  J.  J.  (I.  A.  Ge- 
rard), 217. 

Grangerizing,  300. 

Grasset,  E.,  226,  308. 

Grateloup,  J.  B.  de,  81.- 

Gravelot,  H.  F.,  31,  81. 

Graver,  12,  17,  54,  56,  57,  145, 
164,  179. 

Gravesande,  Storm  van  's.  See 
Storm  van  's  Gravesande. 

Gravure  au  lavis,  130,  139. 

Green,  C.,  183. 

Green,  Valentine,  101,  103,  105, 
no,  113. 

Greiner,  Otto,  206,  229-230, 
306- 

Grenier,  Francois,  210. 

Greuze,  J.  B.,  80,  138. 

Grevedon,   Henri,  220,  222. 

Grien,  Hans  Baldung,  169,  174. 

Grimelund,  J.,  47. 

Gros,  Baron,  210. 

Ground.     See  Etching-ground. 

Grozer,  Joseph,  104,  112. 

Guerard,  Henri,  18,  34,  47,  49. 

Guerin,  Pierre  N.,  210. 

Guyot,  Laurent,   138. 

Haden,  Sir  Seymour,  13,  14, 
18-19,  22,  28,  41,  127,  272, 
283. 

Haid,  J.  E.,  97-98. 

Haig,  A.  H.,  47. 

Half-tone  process,  242,  243, 
244,  245. 

Hamerton,  P.  G.,  16. 

Hamilton,  J.  McLure,  235. 

Hanfstangl,   Franz,  222. 

Harding,  J.  D.,  225-226. 

Hardy,  Dudley,  308. 

Harunobu,   Suzuki,   196,  200. 

Harvey,  William,  181. 

Haskell,  Ernest,  237,  309. 

Hatching.  See  Cross  -  hatch- 
ing. 

Havell,  D.,  137. 

Heath,  Charles,  86,  277. 

Hecht,  Wilhelm,  185. 


INDEX 


321 


Hegenbart,  Fritz,  142. 
Heinemann,  Ernst,  189. 
Helleu,   Paul,  35. 
Henriquel-Dupont,  L.   P.,  90. 
Herkomer,     Hubert    von,     16, 

42,  56,   127,  234. 
Herrick,  H.  W.,  186. 
Hervier,  A.,  215. 
Hill,  John,   137. 
Hill,  John  Henry,  43,  144. 
Hinshelwood,  R.,  90,  276,  277. 
Hiroshige,   197. 
Hoch,  Franz,  230. 
Hodgetts,  T.,  115. 
Hofel,  Blasius,  181-182. 
Hogarth,   William,  84,  92. 
Hokusai,  195,  196. 
Holbein,  Hans,   169-171. 
Hole,  William,  82. 
Holl,  William,  151. 
Hollar,  Wenzel,  30,  85. 
Holroyd,   Sir  Charles,  42. 
Homer,   Winslow,   236. 
Hopson,  W.  F.,  306. 
Hornby,  L.  G.,  44. 
Horsburgh,  go. 
Houbraken,  Jacob,  73. 
Houdard,  Charles,  47,  49,  143. 
Houghton,  Boyd,  183. 
Houston,  Richard,  96,  101,  ill. 
Huber,  Konrad,  208. 
Huet,  Paul,  32,  215. 
Hullmandel,  C,  225,  271. 
Hunt,  Wm.  Morris,  236. 
Hyde,  Helen,  144,  194. 

I.  A.  of  Zwolle,  64. 

I.  B.  See  Master  I.  B.  with 
the  Bird. 

Ibels,  H.  G.,  238,  253- 

Illustration,  310-312;  by  etch- 
ing, 31,  33,  42; line  en- 
graving, 68,  81,  86,  87,  177; 

mezzotint,  122;  

aquatint,  133-137,  141; 

wood  engraving,  163-173, 
175-177,  181-184,  186,  188, 
240,  269,  310;  lithog- 
raphy, 208,  209 ; photo- 
mechanical processes,  240, 
242,  245,  251;  illustrations 


from  non-authentic  sources, 
298. 

Imp.,    278. 

Impression  (the  individual 
print),  264;  importance  of 
good  impressions,  8,  118, 
260,  279,  280,  283. 

Incidit,  278. 

Incunabula,   167,  247. 

Ink  and  inking,  56.  Importance 
of,  273;  in  etching,  13,  15,  16, 
199,  273;  in  mezzotint,  95, 
119,  120,  273;  in  aquatint, 
143;  in  stipple,  157;  in  wood- 
engraving,  199;  in  lithog- 
raphy, 230;  inking  &  la  pou- 
pee,  49,  143.  See  also  Color 
printing. 

Inscription  ("Letters"),  267, 
268,  271. 

Intaglio  processes,  56,  163, 
164.  243,  265.  See  Chapters 
II-VI,  and  IX. 

Inv.,  Invenit,  278. 

Isabey,   Eugene,  214-215,  238. 

Isabey,  J.  B.,  210. 

Isochromatic  plates,  244. 

Ivanowski,  S.  de,  300. 

Jackson,  John  Baptist,  177,  248. 

Jacob,  N.  H.,  222. 

Jacque,  Charles,  17,  18,  21,  32, 
142,  217,  270,  271,  281,  288. 

Jacquemart,  Jules,  18,  33-34, 
104,  273,  295. 

Jacques,  Jules,  90. 

Janinet,  Francois,  138. 

Japanese  prints,  5,  174,  192, 
194-201,  232,  247,  248,  274, 
295-296. 

Jardin,  Karel  du.  See  Du  Jar- 
din. 

Jazet,  J.  P.  M.,  140. 

Jeanniot,  49. 

Jeghers,  Cristoph,  171,  174. 

Jettmar,  R.,  46,  230. 

Jode,  Pieter  de,  72. 

Johnson,  Thomas,  189. 

Jones,  Alfred,  90,  91,  277. 

Jones,  John,  102,  104,  106,  109, 
114,  155-156. 


322 


INDEX 


Jongkind,  J.  B.,  34. 

Josey,  Richard,  124,  125-126. 

Jourdain,  H.,  47,  143. 

Judkins,  Elizabeth,  108,  no. 

Juengling,  Frederick,  186,  187, 
268. 

Juengling,  J.  R,   187. 

Julien,  214. 

Junior  Etching  Club  (Lon- 
don), 38. 

Kallmorgen,  Friedrich,  231. 
Kaltnadel.  See  Dry-point. 
Karlsruhe  Kunstlerbund,  46, 

229,  231,  309. 
Keating,  George,  112. 
Keene,  Charles,  42,  183,  184. 
Keller,  Arthur  I.,  311. 
Kelly,  J.  E.,  186. 
Keppler,  Joseph,  219. 
Kerver   (publisher),  176. 
Key-block     in     color     prints, 

198. 

Key-plate  in  color  prints,  248. 
Kilian,     Lucas,     Philip     and 

Wolfgang,  84. 
King,  F.  S.,  189. 
King,  J.  S.,  126. 
Kingsley,  Elbridge,  189. 
Kirkall,  Edward,  177. 
Kiyomasu,  Torii,  196. 
Kiyonaga,  197,  200. 
Kiyonobu,  Torii,  196,  200. 
Klinger,  Max,  46,  48,  143,  230, 

310. 

Knight,  Joseph,  126,  127. 
Kobell,   Ferdinand,  31. 
Koepping,  Karl,  36. 
Kolb,  Alois,  142. 
Kollwitz,  Kathe,  46,  230. 
Koriusai,  196. 
Kriehuber,  Josef,  223. 
Kruger,  Franz,  223. 
Kruell,  Gustav,  189. 
Kruseman   van   Elten,   H.   D., 

21,  43- 
Kiisel,  Matthaus  and  Melchior, 

84. 
Kurzweil,  193. 

Laage,  Wilhelm,  193. 


Label  designing,  309. 

Laffitte,  Alphonse,  48. 

Lalanne,  Maxime,  16,  34. 

Lalauze,  Ad.,  273. 

Lami,  Eugene,  220. 

Landscape  in  etching,  See 
Chapter  II ;  in  line  engrav- 
ing, 67,  80,  83-86,  90;  in 
mezzotint,  113,  114-119,  126, 
127,  128;  in  stipple,  158;  in 
aquatint,  133-135,  137,  140, 
141,  142,  143;  in  wood  en- 
graving, 172,  1 80,  189;  in 
Japanese  prints,  200. 

Lane,  R.  J.,  226. 

Larmessin,   Nicolas  de,  80. 

Latenay,  G.   de,   47,    143. 

Lathrop,  W.  L.,  43. 

Laukota,  Hermine,  143. 

Launay,  Nicolas  de,  80. 

Laurens,  J.ules,  221. 

Lautensack,  H.  S.,  68. 

Lautrec.  See  Toulouse-Lau- 
trec. 

Lavis,  130,  139. 

Lavreince,   Nicolas,  81. 

Leandre,  C,  253. 

Le  Bas,  J.  P.,  80,  277. 

Le  Blon,  C.,  249. 

Lecomte,  Marie,  27. 

Leech,  John,  43,  183,  219,  279. 

Lefort,  Henri,  229. 

Legrand,   Augustin,   159. 

Legros,  Alphonse,  41-42,  128, 
234,  302. 

Leistikqw,  Walter,  46. 

Lemercier   (printer),  271. 

Lemud,  Aime  de,  214. 

Le  Noir,  Rose,  151. 

Lepere,  A.,  47,  175,  192-193,  253. 

Lepic,  Le  Comte,  16. 

Lepicie,  Bernard,  80. 

Le  Prince,  J.  B.,  133,  134. 

Le  Rat,  Paul,  36. 

Leroux,  Eugene,  221. 

Lettering  on  copper  plates, 
271. 

"  Letters."    See  Inscription. 

Levachez,  138. 

Lewis,  A.  A.,  175. 

Lewis,  F.  C.,  114,  140,  141,  142. 


INDEX 


323 


Leyden,  Lucas  van,  60,  65,  69, 
70,  171,  280,  296. 

Lichtdruck,  146,  243. 

Liebermann,  Max,  21. 

Lievens,  Jan,  25,  27,  174. 

Line  engraving,  53-93  (Chap- 
ter III),  94,  145,  162,  266; 
used  with  mezzotint,  122; 
with  stipple,  151,  158,  160. 
See  also  Graver. 

Linoleum  prints,  203. 

Linton,  W.  J.,  183,  186,  187, 
1 88,  269. 

Lith.  de,  278. 

Lithography,  204-239  (Chapter 
VIII)  ;  for  posters,  307. 

Lithotint,  225,  233. 

Little  Masters,  67,  68,  91,  169. 

Llanta,  J.  F.  G.,  220. 

Lombart,  Pierre,  287. 

Longacre,  J.  B.,  160. 

Longhi,  Giuseppe,  77. 

Longueil,  Joseph  de,  81. 

"  Lozenges "  in  line  engrav- 
ing, 146. 

Lucas,  David,  119. 

Lucas  van  Leyden.   See  Leyden. 

Liitzelburger,  Hans,  169. 

Luigini,  F.  T.,  143. 

Lumiere  color  photography, 
244. 

Lunois,  A.,  227-8,  231,  238,  253. 

Lupton,  Thomas,  115,  118,  119, 
120,  121. 

McArdell,  James,  100,  101,  in, 

126. 

McBey,  J.,  42. 
McCormick,  H.,  194. 
MacLaughlan,  D.  S.,  35. 
Make-ready,  180. 
Malton,  J.,  137. 
Mandel,  Ed.,  90. 
Manet,  E.,  35,  142. 
Maniere      anglaise      (stipple), 

152.     See  Stipple.     See  also 

Mezzotint. 

Maniere  criblee,  145. 
Maniere  noire  (mezzotint),  95. 

See  Mezzotint. 
Mantegna,  Andrea,  55,  58,  74, 

91,  268. 


Manuel,   Nicolas,   168. 

Marc    Antonio.      See    R  a  i  - 

mondi. 

Marchi,  J.  P.  L.,  106. 
Margins,  271 ;  false,  284. 
Mariette,  P.  J.,  277. 
Marillier,  P.  C,  81. 
Marsh,  Henry,  186. 
Marshall,  William,  82. 
Martial,  A.   P.   (A.   M.  Pote- 

mont),  1 6. 
Martin,  John,  119. 
Marvy,  Louis,  21. 
Massard,  Jean,  80. 
Masson,  Antoine,  78,  79,  296. 
Master  of  the  Amsterdam  Cab- 
inet, 65. 
Master  of  the  Caduceus.     See 

Barbari. 

Master  with  the  Die,  75,  279. 
Master  E.   S.  of  1466,  63,  64, 

68,  279,  287. 
Master  of  1464,  63. 
Master     of    the     Gardens     of 

Love,  63. 
Master   I.   B.   with   the   Bird, 

173- 
Master  of  the   Playing  Cards, 

63- 

Master  of  the  Weaver's  Shut- 
tle. See  I.  A.  of  Zwolle. 

Mats,  291. 

Mattoir,  147. 

Maurin,  Charles,  48. 

Maurou,  Paul,  228. 

Maverick,    P.    and   P.    R.,   92. 

May,   Phil,  306. 

Meckenen,  Israel  van,  64,  280, 
296. 

Meissonier,  J.  L.  E.,  32. 

Mellan,    Claude,    77-78,    91. 

Melton  (publisher),  134. 

Menpes,  Mortimer,  41,  42,  271, 
303- 

Menus,  309. 

Menzel,  Adolph  von,  45,  182- 
183,  206,  223-224,  271,  295. 

Merian,    Matthaus,  85. 

Merians,  The,  84. 

Meryon,  C.,  17,  22,  36,  37- 
38,  260,  267-268,  273,  274, 


324 


INDEX 


295 ;  copied  by  Gosselin, 
286. 

Meyer,  Henry,  108,  154. 

Mezzotint,  20,  82,  94-129 
(Chapter  IV),  133,  147,  163, 
251,  266,  280. 

"  Mezzotint  method  "  in  lithog- 
raphy. See  Scraper  in 
lithography. 

Michalik,  L.,  48,  49. 

Mielatz,  C.  F.  W.,  16,  17,  21, 
44,  143,  237,  272. 

Millais,  J.   E.,   183,  256. 

Millar,  A.  T.,  21,  44,  144. 

Millar,  Fred,   126. 

Miller,  Charles  H.,  43. 

Miller,  John  D.,  124. 

Miller,  W.,  86,  90. 

Millet,  J.  F.,  33,  213,  269. 

"Mixed"  methods,  148,  149; 
in  mezzotint,  96-97,  121  - 
122;  in  stipple,  149,  151,  152, 
157,  160.  See  also  references 
under  Aquatint,  Etching, 
Line  engraving,  Mezzotint 
and  Stipple,  to  use  of  the 
medium  i  n  combination 
with  others. 

Mocetto,  Girolamo,  74. 

Modena,   Nicoletto  da,  74. 

Moll,  Karl,  193. 

Monks,  J.  A.  S.,  43. 

Monnier,   Henri,   217. 

Monograms,  279. 

Monotype,  130. 

Montagna,  Benedetto,  74. 

Montpensier,  Antoine  Philippe 
d'Orleans,  Due  de,  209. 

Monvel,  Bernard  Boutet  de, 
48. 

Moran,  Mrs.  Mary  Nimmo, 
43,  130. 

Moran,  Peter,  43 

Moran,  Thomas,  43,  236. 

Moreau,  J.  M.,  le  jeune,  31,  81, 
92,  295,  310. 

Morgenstern,  Johann  Frie- 
drich,  45. 

Morghen,  Raphael,  61,  76-77, 
306. 

Morin,  Jean,  78. 


Morland,  George,  105,  111,112. 
Morret,  J.  B.,  139. 
Morris,  William,  on  book  dec- 
oration, 311. 

Motte,    C.    (printer),  271,  278. 
Mouilleron,  Adolphe,  220. 
Mounting  prints,  291. 
Mucha,  Alphonse,  253.  308. 
Miiller,  F.  W.,  85. 
Muller,  J.  G.,  85-86. 
Musi,  Agostino  de',  75. 
Muyden,   Evert  van,  47. 

Nanteuil,  Celestin,  220. 
Nanteuil,    Robert,    55,    71,    78, 

79,  206. 

Nast,  Thomas,  297. 
Nesbit,  Charlton,  181. 
Neumont,  Maurice,  229. 
Neureuther,  E.,  45. 
New   York   Etching  Club,   43- 

44- 

Newsam,  Albert,  235. 
Nicholson,    William,    194,    303, 

306. 

Nicoll,  J.  C,  43. 
Nielli,  62. 
Noel,  Leon,  220. 
Nolde,  Emil,  45. 
Norblin,  J.  P.,  27,  285. 
Nordfeldt,  B.  J.  O.,  194. 
Nuremburg     Chronicle,     I  6  6 , 

299- 
Nutter,  William,    154. 

Odieuvre,  277. 

Open  letter   inscription,   271. 

Opus  mallei,  145. 

Orlik,   Emil,  45,   193,   231,  306. 

Orthochromatic  plates,  244. 

Osgood,  H.  H.,  45. 

Ostade,  A.  van,  29,  30. 

Osterlind,   Allan,  47. 

Overbeck,  F.,  46. 

Overlaying,  180. 

Paczka,  Cornelia,  46,  209,  230. 

Paintings,  Reproductions  of. 
All  of  the  arts  dealt  with  in 
this  book  have  served  more 
or  less  to  reproduce  paint- 
ings, as  noted  on  pp.  296- 


INDEX 


325 


297.  Reproductive  etching, 
32,  36-37,  258;  line  engrav- 
ing, Chapter  III ;  mezzotint, 
Chapter  IV;  aquatint,  138- 
140 ;  stipple,  Chapter  VI ; 
wood  engraving,  185,  187- 
190;  lithography,  211,  220- 
222;  photography,  244;  pho- 
tomechanical processes,  245. 

Palmer,  Samuel,  42. 

Pannemaker,  A.  R,  179,  182. 

Paper,  Important  part  played 
by,  in  etchings  and  other 
prints,  16,  17,273-275;  tinted, 
in  etchings,  48,  231;  treated, 
in  forgeries,  283.  See  also 
Water-marks. 

Park,  Thomas,.  107. 

Parrish,  Stephen,  43. 

Parsons,   Alfred,  235. 

Payen,  J.  A.,   159. 

Peale,  Charles  Willson,   122. 

Peale,  Rembrandt,  235. 

Pelham,  Peter,  122. 

Pencz,  Georg,  67. 

Pennell,  Joseph,  5,  14,  42,  43, 
131,  233,  234,  237,  272,  295. 

Perspective,  Aerial,  66,  67,  69. 

Pether,  William,  105. 

Pettenkofen,  August,  223. 

Philipon,  Ch.,  217. 

Phillips,  G.  H.,  121. 

Photographs,  Use  of,  244. 

Photography     in     color,     244, 

245- 
Photogravure,     123,    124,    240, 

242-243. 
Photomechanical  p  r  o  c  e  s  s  es, 

162,  240-245  (Chap.  IX),  251. 
Phototype.    See  Collotype. 
Pichler,  J.,  98. 
Pichon,  47. 

Pietschmann,   Max,   128. 
Pigouchet,  176. 
Pinwell,  G.  J.,  256. 
Pinx.,  278. 

Piranesi,  G.  B.,  32,  283. 
Pirodon,  E.  L.,  221. 
Pisan,  H.,  182. 
Pissarro,  Lucien,  193. 
Planographic     processes,     265, 


266.  See  Collotype  and 
Lithography. 

Plank,  G.  W. 

Plate-mark,  265-266 ;  false,  284. 

Platt,  C.  A.,  5,  28,  43. 

Playing  Cards,  Master  of  the, 
63- 

Pleydenwurff,   166. 

Ploos  van  Amstel,  Cornelis, 
148,  250. 

Point,  Armand,  20. 

Pointe  seche.     See  Dry-point. 

Pollard,  James,  136. 

Ponce,  Nicolas,  81. 

Pontius,  Paul,  72. 

Porporati,  C.  A.,  77. 

Portfolios,  292. 

Portman,  L.,  252. 

Portraits.  Art  of  portraiture, 
302-303.  Numerous  refer- 
ences to  portraits  will  be 
found  in  the  chapters  on 
etching,  line  engraving,  mez- 
zotint, stipple  and  lithog- 
raphy. 

Posters,  175,  194,  208,  226,  303, 
307-309. 

Potemont,  A.  M.  See  Mar- 
tial. 

Potter,  Paul,  29. 

Poupee,  Inking  a  la,  49,   143, 

Prang,  Louis,  226. 

Prestel,  J.  T.  and  Marie  Cath- 
erine, 140. 

Prices  of  prints,  38,  81,  153, 
258-262. 

Printing,  271-272 ; etchings, 

15-17; lithographs,  207, 

266.  See  also  Ink  and  Reg- 
ister. 

Prints,  Care  of,  289-293  (Chap- 
ter XIII). 

Printsellers.     See  Publishers. 

Private  plates,  277. 

Programmes,  309. 

Proofs,  267-268,  271;  trial 
proofs  (working  proofs), 

267,  268,     271 ;     counter 
proofs,     268;     false    proofs, 
284;    masked    proofs,    284; 
remarque    proofs,    271 ;    ar- 


326 


INDEX 


tist's  proofs,  271 ;  corrected 
by  painter  of  the  picture  re- 
produced, zoo,  269. 

Protzen,  Otto,  128. 

Prout,    Samuel,   21. 

Prouve,  V.,  143. 

Prud'hon,  Pierre,  21 1. 

Prunaire,  Alfred,  191. 

Pry,  Paul,  279. 

Publishers  of  prints,  30,  32,  76, 
84,  102,  113,  134,  136,  141, 
227,  271,  277,  280. 

Pugin,  A.  C.,  133- 

Punching,  145. 

Purcell,  Richard,  102,  279. 

Puvis  de  Chavannes,  P.,  227. 

Pyle,  Howard,  311. 

Raffaelli,  J.  J.,  47,  49,  254. 

Raffet,  A.,  215-216,  295. 

Raimondi,  Marc  Antonio,  55, 
68,  69,  75,  286. 

Rain-water  as  a  mordant,  130. 

Raj  on,  Paul,  8,  37,  297,  302. 

Ranft,  48,  49. 

Ranger,  H.  W.,  236. 

Raphael,  75. 

Rasch,  O.,  230. 

Rassenfosse,  306. 

Ravenna,  Marco  de,  75. 

Redpn,  Odilon,  229. 

Register,  174,  199,  249. 

Regnault,  N.  R,  160. 

Relief  processes,  56,  163,  164, 
241,  242,  265,  266;  dotted 
prints,  145;  W.  Blake's  proc- 
ess, 250.  See  also  Wood 
engraving  and  Photome- 
chanical processes. 

Remarque  proofs.    See  Proofs. 

Remarques,   271 ;    false,    284. 

Rembrandt,  19,  20,  21,  22,  23- 
29,  30,  35,  261,  270,  293,  302; 
followers,  influence,  8  6  ; 
prices,  262;  late  impressions, 
283;  forgeries,  284;  copies, 
285-286. 

Repairing  prints,  290. 

Reproductive  art.  See  Paint- 
ings. 

Restrikes,  253,  283. 


Rethel,  Alfred,  170,  183. 

Retouching  worn  plates,  103, 
122,  280-281. 

Retroussage,  16. 

Reuwich,   Erhard,    166. 

Revere,  Paul,  92,  299,  306. 

Reynolds,  Sir  Joshua.  Repeat- 
ed mention  of  his  paintings 
will  be  found  in  Chapter  IV. 
His  interest  in  the  repro- 
duction of  his  work  is  indi- 
cated on  pp.  100  and  269. 

Reynolds,  S.  W.,  106,  112,  115, 
120. 

Rhead,  Louis,  308. 

Ribera,  Joseph,  31. 

Ribot,    Theodule,    228. 

Richter,  Ludwig,   183. 

Ricketts,  C.,  194. 

Ridley,  157. 

Rippl-Ronai,  47. 

Ritchie,  A.  H.,  91,  123,  287. 

Riviere,  Henri,  193,  253. 

Robbe,  Manuel,  47,  143,  253. 

Robinson,  Gerald,  124,   125. 

Rochebrune,  Octave,  Comte  de, 
34,  295. 

Rocker  or  rocking-tool,  94-98. 

Rodin,  A.,  253. 

Rogers,  William,  59,  82. 

Rolph,  J.  A.,  276. 

Rops,  Felicien,  21,  227. 

Rosa,  Salvator,  31. 

Rosenberg,  C.,  136. 

Roth,  E.  D.,  45. 

Rossetti,  D.  G.,  183. 

Rothenstein,  Will,  234. 

Roulette,  96,  130,  250;  in  etch- 
ing, 17,  21,  35,  46;  in  mez- 
zotint, 96,  97,  119,  122;  in 
aquatint,  137,  139,  143 ;  in  the 
crayon  manner,  147 ;  in  stip- 
ple, 148-150,  160;  machine 
rouletting,  149. 

Rowlandson,  Thomas,  133,  136. 

Rubens,  P.  P.,  72,  75,  171,  269. 

Rugendas,    Georg    Philipp,   98. 

Ruling  machine,  18,  19,  240. 
See  also  Collas. 

Rupert,  Prince,  97,  98. 

Ruysdael,  J.,  29. 


INDEX 


327 


Ruzicka,  R.,  175,  194. 
Ryland,  W.  W.,  152. 

Sadeler,  Egidius,  66,  84. 
Sadeler,  Ralph,  279. 
Saenredam,  Jan,  72. 
St.  Aubin,  Aug.  de,  31,  81. 
St.  Memin,  C.  B.  J.  Fevret  de, 

137- 

Salmon    (printer),  271. 

Salt  for  producing  an  etched 
tint,  131. 

Sand  grain,  sandpaper  method, 
sandpaper  mezzotint,  130, 131. 

Sandys,  F.,  183,  256. 

Sargent,  J.  S.,  236. 

Sartain,  John,  122,  123. 

Sartain,  Samuel,  123. 

Sartain,  William,  123. 

Satin,  Prints  on,  274. 

Sattler,  Joseph,  306,  311. 

Savage,  Edward,  122,  160. 

Savage,  W.,  248. 

Savart,   Pierre,  81. 

Say,  William,   115,  120. 

Sayer,  R.  (publisher),  102,  113. 

Schabkunst  (mezzotint),  95. 
See  Mezzotint. 

Schauffelein,  Hans,  168,  279. 

Schiavonetti,  L.,  154,  158. 

Schmidt,  G.  F.,  27,  71,  85. 

Schmutzer,  F.,  46. 

Schneider,  O.  J.,  45- 

Schnorr  von  Carolsfeld,  Julius, 
Ritter,  183. 

Schongauer,  Martin,  64,  296. 

School-book  illustration,  163. 

Schrotblatter,    145. 

Schwind,  Moritz,  Ritter  von, 
183. 

Scraper  and  scraping,  54,  270; 
in  line-engraving,  54,  55; 

mezzotint,  94,  95,  96,  97> 

101,  102,  266;  aquatint, 

143;  stipple,  149;  

lithography,  204,  208,  211,  214, 
215,  217,  218,  221,  223,  224, 
225,  233,  234,  236;  pho- 
tomechanical processes,  243. 

Sculp.,  sculpsit,  229. 

Seghers,  Hercules,  249. 


Seidel,  O.,  90. 

Senefelder,  Aloys,  206-207,  216. 

Senseney,  George,  44,  48. 

Sergent,  A.  F.,   138. 

Sezanne,  Auguste,   143. 

Shannon,  C.  H.,  233. 

Sharp,  William,  82,  83. 

Sherborn,  C.  W.,  56,  267,  306, 
307. 

Sherwin,  J.  K.,   154. 

Sherwin,   William,  98. 

Shigemasa,  Kitao,  196. 

Short,  Frank,  16,  21,  127-128, 
143,  234,  240. 

Shortshanks,  279. 

Sichem,  Christoph  van,  171. 

Siegen,  Ludwig  von,  97. 

Signac,  227. 

Signatures,  279. 

Simon,  T.  F.,  49. 

Simon,  John,  98. 

Simon,  Peter,  155. 

Simonet,  J.  B.,  80,  81. 

Sintzenich,  Heinrich,  160. 

Sirouy,  A.,  212,  221. 

Skrimshire,  A.  J.,  124. 

Sleigh,  Bernard,  194. 

Sloan,  John,  45. 

Slocombe,  C.  P.  and  F.,  42. 

Smedley,  W.  T.,  311. 

Smillie,  James,  90,  276. 

Smillie,  Jas.  D.,  21,  44,  128,  144. 

Smith,  J.  A.,  45. 

Smith,  John,  98. 

Smith,  John  Raphael,  100,  101, 
103-104,  107,  108,  112,  121, 
124,  126,  156,  251,  252,  262. 

Smithwick,  J.  H.,  186,  189. 

Societe  Franchise  de  Gravure, 
90. 

Societe  de  Peintres  -  Litho- 
graphes,  227. 

Society  of  American  Wood 
Engravers,  188. 

Society  of  Mezzotint  Engrav- 
ers, 124. 

Soft-ground  etching,  20,  21,  48, 
148,  266. 

Soiron,  F.  D.,  155. 

Solander  cases,  292. 

Solis,  Virgil,  69. 


328 


INDEX 


Somer,  P.  van,  98. 
Soulange-Teissier,  212. 
Soutman,  Pieter,  72. 
Spatter    work    in    lithography, 

208,  227. 

Spenceley,   J.    W.,   306. 
Spooner,  C,  96. 
Sporting  prints,   in,   112,   136. 
Stadler,  J.   C,  137. 
States,   267-268,   271,   272,   273. 
Stauffer,  D.  McN.,  306. 
Stauffer-Bern,  Karl,  56. 
Steel  engraving,  53-54,  86,  119- 

120,  276,  281. 

Steel  facing,  53,  86,  121,  281. 
Steinhausen,  W.,  230. 
Steinlen,  Alexandre,  48. 
Stevenson,  F.  G.,  126. 
Still  life  subjects  were  etched 

particularly    by    Jacquemart 

and  Guerard. 
Stimmer,  Tobias,  174. 
Stipple      engraving,      145  - 161 

(Chapter  VI),  163,  273,  285; 

used     with     line-engraving, 

86. 

Stone,  Marcus,  235. 
Stone,  W.  M.,  306. 
Stopping-out,  14,  131  -  135,  149. 
Stopping-out  varnish,    14,   132, 

134,  149,  250. 
Storm  van  's  Gravesande,   C, 

28,  47,  232. 

Strang,  W.,  42,  131,  193. 
Strange,    Sir    Robert,    82,    83, 

151,  306. 

Strixner,  J.  N.,  222. 
Sulphur-tint,  130. 
Suppantschitsch,      Max,      4  8 , 

143,  231. 
Surugue,    Louis    and    Pierre 

Louis,  80. 

Sutherland,  T.,  137. 
Suyderhoef,  Jan,  72. 
Swell-gelatine  process,  242. 

Tardieu,    N.    H.    and    P.    A., 

80. 

Tarot  cards,  73. 
Taylor,  Baron,  225. 


Technique,  264.  The  im- 
portance of  technique  is 
more  or  less  emphasized 
throughout  the  book. 

Tenniel,   Sir  John,    183,   184. 

Textures,  Rendering  of,  in 
etching,  25 ; line-engrav- 
ing, 65,  70,  78,  82,  83,  85; 

mezzotint,  102,  103 ; 

stipple,    153,    155,    157,    159; 
lithography,  212. 

Teyler,  Johannes,  249. 

Thaulow,  F.,  47. 

Thoma,  Hans,  46,  230,  306. 

Thomson,  James,  151. 

Three  -  color  processes,  244, 
249,  250. 

Thurston,  John,  181. 

Tiepolo,  G.  B.,  31. 

Tinkey,  J.,  178. 

Tint  printing,  Lithographic, 
224,  225,  231. 

Tomkins,  P.  W.,  154,  157, 
158. 

Tory,   Geoff roy,    175,    176. 

Toschi,  Paul,  77. 

Toulouse-Lautrec,  Henri  de, 
227,  238,  253. 

Toyokuni,   196. 

Transfer  paper,  Lithographic, 
208,  228,  233. 

Travies,  C.  J.,  217. 

Trial  proofs.     See  Proofs. 

Trowbridge,  Vaughan,   144. 

Truchet,  Abel,  48. 

Turner,  Charles,  115,  120,  121, 
284. 

Tuj-ner,  J.  M.  W.,  "Liber 
Studiorum,"  13,  21,  75,  114- 
118,  120,  126,  127,  140,  141, 
269-270,  272,  273 ;  prices,  260 ; 
retouching,  280-281;  late  im-' 
pressions,  283;  his  works  re- 
produced by  line-engraving, 
83,  86,  90,  119. 

Ukioye.     See  Japanese  prints. 
Underlaying,   180. 
Unger,  W.,  36,  297. 
Unzelmann,  F.  W.,  183. 


INDEX 


329 


Utamaro,  195,  196. 


Vaillant,  Wallerant,  97. 

Vallotton,  Felix,  193,  253. 

Vanderhoof,  C.  A.,  21,  43,  236, 
272. 

Van  Dyck.    5V?  Dyck. 

Velde,  Adriaen,  Jan  and 
Esaias  van  de,  29. 

Verard,  A.   (publisher),  176. 

Vernet,  H.,  206,  209. 

Vernier,  Emile,  220. 

Vernis  mou.  See  Soft- 
ground  etching. 

Veth,  Jan,  232,  302. 

Veyrassat,  J.  J.,  32. 

Vial  process,  18. 

Vidal,  Geraud,  139,  160. 

Vierge,  Daniel,  172. 

Villon,  Jacques,  47. 

Vinegar  as  a  mordant,  130. 

Visscher,   Cornells,  72,  92. 

Vliet,  J.  G.  van,  27. 

Voellmy,  Fritz,   128. 

Vogeler,  H.,  46. 

Volkmann,  Hans  von,  231. 

Volpato,  Giovanni,  76. 

Vorsterman,  Lucas,  72,  269. 

Vostre,  Simon  (publisher), 
176. 

Voyez,  Nicolas  Joseph  and 
Francois,  80. 

Wagstaff,  C.  E.,  121. 
Walker,  Fred,  183,  256,  308. 
Wall-paper,  202,  247,  248. 
Waltner,  Charles,  36,  297. 
Ward,    James,    100,    101,    107, 

109,  112,  124. 
Ward,  William,   101,   109,   112, 

124,  156. 

Warner,  E.  L.,  44. 
"  Wash-out  "   process,   242. 
Washbum,   C.,  44. 
Water-marks,  274-275. 
Waterloo,  A.,  29. 
Watson,  C.  J.,  42. 
Watson,    Caroline,    154,   161. 
Watson,   James,   103,   107,    108, 

in. 


Watson,  Thomas,  102-103,  106, 

262. 

Watteau,  A.,  80. 
Watts,  George  F.,  235. 
Way,    Thomas    and    Thomas 

R.,  234-235,  303. 

Webster,  H.  A.,  45. 

Wechtlin,  Johann,   174. 

Wehrschmidt,  D.  A.  and  E.,  124. 

Weir,  J.  Alden,  44,  56,  236. 

Weirotter,  F.  E.,  31. 

Whistler,  J.  A.  M.  Summary 
method,  5,  n  ;  compared  with 
Rembrandt,  23,  25;  etchings, 
5,  14,  16,  22,  25,  36,  38-41,  271, 
273,  281,  282,  295  ;  lithographs, 
206,  230-231,  233-235,  237,  238, 
253,  254;  signature,  126,  279; 
on  margins,  271 ;  work  re- 
produced in  wood  engraving, 
187,  256;  prices,  261;  por- 
traits of  Whistler,  303. 

White,  C.  H.,  44,  45,  272. 

White,  Edwin,  236. 

White,  George,  96. 

White  line  in  wood  engraving, 
164,  177,  178,  179;  imitated 
on  copper,  267. 

Whitney,  E.  J.,  186. 

Wickenden,  R.  J.,  237. 

Wierix,  Anton,  Hieronymus 
and  Jan,  69. 

Wille,  J.  G.,  55,  7i,  81-82,  85, 
277. 

Willette,    A.,    226,    227,    229, 

253- 

Williams,  Robert,  98. 

Witdoeck,  Jan,  72. 

Witsen,  W.,  47. 

Woeiriot,  P.,  77. 

Wolf,  Henry,  189. 

Wolff,  H.,  46. 

Wolgemuth,  Michael,   166. 

Women  engravers  and  etchers. 
See  Cassatt,  M.,  Lecomte, 
M.,  Fikentscher,  J.,  Hyde, 
H.,  Judkins,  E.,  Kollwitz,  K., 
Moran,  M.  N.,  Watson,  C., 
Laukota,  H.,  Paczka,  C. 

Wood-engraving,   56,   94,    162- 


330 


INDEX 


203  (Chapter  VII),  256,  266, 
270,  275  -  276;  used  with 
copper-plates  to  print  tints, 
148,  247,  248 ;  relation  to  the 
photomechanical  processes, 
191,  240,  241,  248,  310;  for 
posters,  307. 

Woodman,  R.,  158. 

•Woollett,  William,  82,  83, 
84. 

Worcester,  Albert,  45. 

Working  proofs.     See  Proofs. 

Worlidge,  Thomas,  28. 

Worpswede  group,  46. 

Wright,  I.  H.,  140,  158. 


Xylography.     See    Wood    en- 
graving. 

Yale,    Leroy    M.,    17,    18,    44, 

272. 
Young,  John,  106,  112,  120. 

Zasinger,  Mathaeus,  64. 
Zdrasila,   Adolf,    193. 
Zeeman,  Renier,  29. 
Zilcken,  Ph.,  47. 
Zinc  etching,  241. 
Zorn,  Anders,  22,  47. 
Zwolle,  I.  A.  of  (Master  of  the 
Weaver's  Shuttle),  64 


j.nis   IJUUK.  u  JL/UXJ   on    me  Ukad  Ucti/c 


jut  i     rr 
f JW  i 1 19: 


JAN  1 0  1947 
JUN  4     1953 
DEC  9      1954 
DEC  1  5  1954 
F£B  1  4  195S 
J&R  1  2   1955 
JUN  9      1955 

HAY  1  7  1956 
OCT  1 1  1956 

,ro  2  5  195? 

Form  L-9-35m-8,'28 


APR  1  9  1961 

^PR  201966 

APR  1  7  1967 


JEIA 


Jfeitenkampf. 


W43h     How  to 
Art       appreciate 

iusr- 

prints. 


II     i  u   ii   ' 

A    000  454  273     4 


8&0 


Art 
Library 


A 

LUS  ANGELES 
UBRARY 


